Prodigy Actress
by Metallic Snow
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia, a past prodigy child actress who quit due to a traumatizing accident, now lives in an orphanage and has an ordinary life in high school. But one day, a certain pink-haired celebrity, her first love and past co-star in a movie, transfers into her school. What will she do when he calls her out in front of all of her classmates and confesses to her? (COMPLETE)
1. Chapter 1: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

 _Beep... Beep... Beep…_

" _Lucy… where are you?"_

" _I'm here, Wendy. I'm right here."_

" _Lucy… I'm scared."_

" _Don't worry, Wendy. Your sister is here. After this, we can go home. We finished recording, so we can finally see Mommy and Daddy again very soon. It'll be okay."_

" _Big sis…"_

" _Just hold on, okay? They'll come soon!"_

" _Lu… cy…"_

 _Beep_ —

" _Wendy? Wake up! Wendy!"_

"Wake up!" I hear someone say. "Lucy! Get up already!"

"Huh?" I say. I rub my eyes. It is the owner of the orphanage, Makarov.

"It's time to go to school!" he says. "Hurry up!"

"Okay, okay, Gramps," I grumble. He leaves my room with an exaggerated sigh. I grab my uniform and quickly change into it. I was dreaming of that time again. My chest feels heavy. I shake my head and slap my cheeks. I shouldn't think about it. More like, I do not have time to think! I am almost late for school!

I grab my bag and run down the stairs. The Gramps and the kids are already at the table, eating.

"Morning Lucy!" one of the kids say. "You're finally up!"

"Morning Romeo," I quickly reply. I sit on the table and force all the food Gramps made into my stomach.

"Hey!" the person sitting next to me shouts. "If you eat that fast, you'll get a stomach ache."

I glare at him. "Shut up, kid. We're going to be late! Hurry up, or I'll leave without you."

He groans. "You call me kid, but I'm only a month younger than you. And my name is Sting, not _kid_."

"A kid is a kid!" I shout back, sticking my tongue at him.

Suddenly, Gramps slams his chopsticks on the table, clattering the dishes. "Geez, you two!" he shouts. "Stop arguing and eat!"

Sting and I exchange glares and then politely nod to Gramps. I mentally groan. It's always Sting's fault that we get in trouble with Gramps. We quickly finish eating and thank him for the food. Then we run out the door. If we start running now, we may make it in time.

Well, I guess I should give a brief introduction on who I am. My name is Lucy Heartfilia. This idiot running beside me is Sting Eucliffe. We are orphans, living in Fairy Tail Orphanage. It is a very comforting place. Everyone in the orphanage treats each other as family. Most of the kids are around five to ten in age. Sting and I are the oldest, sixteen-years-old. Well, Sting has been in the orphanage longer than me, though.

"Whew, we're here," Sting says. "Just in time."

I look around. For some reason, there are crowds around our school. Security guards dressed in black suits are keeping the students from going wild. I see tall men holding huge cameras with a reporter standing in front of it. Is that a news broadcasting station? "What's going on?" I say, bewildered.

"Ah," Sting says. "There was this rumor that this famous celebrity was going to attend our school." He scratches his head and grabs my hand. "Not that I care about celebrities anyway. Let's go to class."

I feel a lump in my throat. I have an uneasy feeling, but I try to ignore it. There is only a minute until school starts, so Sting and I have to go as soon as possible. We run through the crowd and throw our homeroom door open. Two minutes late. Argh, it was all because of that crowd! Why are there so many people anyway? Is that celebrity that famous?

"It's the late couple!" one of my classmates laugh. "Late again?"

"Aw, look!" a female classmate exclaims. "They're even holding hands again!"

That's right. In our class, our classmates call us the _late couple_. We're always coming to class late, and for some reason, people like assuming that we are dating just because we live together. But none of that is true. Sting is just family to me.

"It's not like that!" Sting denies, letting go of my hand. His face is as red as a tomato. Why is he so embarrassed all the time?

"Idiot," I hiss. "The more you deny it, the more people are going to assume things!"

"Now, now, you _late couple,"_ I hear someone say behind me. I turn around. It is my homeroom teacher. Oh great. Even she is assuming our relationship? "I need to start class and introduce our new student, so hurry up and take your seats! Don't waste my time!"

"Yes, Ms. Alberona," Sting and I say with a groan. We hurry to our seats as Ms. Alberona takes roll call.

"Anyway," she says. "Today we are going to have a new student join us. I'm sure that all of you know who he is."

"Oh my gosh!" I hear a girl next to me exclaim. "Don't tell me _he_ is going to be in our class! Lucky!"

 _He_? Maybe it was that celebrity from earlier. Suddenly, I feel irritated. It was all that stupid celebrity's fault that Sting and I were late _and_ called the _late couple,_ again. Ugh, what luck to have him in our class.

Sting groans. "It's going to be a great year," he says in a sarcastic tone.

"You took the words out of my mouth," I reply.

"Please come in," Ms. Alberona says.

The door opens.

I see someone with pink salmon hair walk inside.

I freeze.

No way.

The same hairstyle. The same slanted jet black eyes. The same confident look in his face.

The girls around me begin to scream. They hug each other excitedly. "It's him! It's him!" they exclaim, fangirling. "Oh my gosh! He's so hot in person!"

"Class!" Ms. Alberona says. "Please be quiet!"

Instantly, everyone goes silent and looks to the front.

My heart pounds loudly. I can barely hear anything since it won't stop beating. I try to keep my head down, hiding my face, but I can't help but stare at him.

"Hey!" the pink transfer says. "I'm Natsu Dragneel. I won't be here often because of my acting career, but I—"

His jet black eyes meet my brown eyes. We made eye contact. I can't move. He doesn't move either. I can't even dart my eyes away. I try to stop myself from shaking, but I can not help but be afraid. I try to keep my head down lower. Tears are building up. Memories fill my mind again. Memories that I have always tried to forget. Why is this happening to me now? It has been almost seven years, yet… why?

"Lu… cy," Natsu says, pronouncing every syllable of my name slowly. My chest feels heavy. I know that voice. I haven't heard it in so long. He takes a step toward my direction. I feel my heart jump. He recognizes me.

Crap.

Suddenly, he runs over to me, embracing my tiny body in his big arms. "Lucy!" he cries. I can feel his warm tears soak into my uniform. "Lucy! You idiot! Where have you been? I've been searching for you everywhere! You're an idiot! A real idiot!"

I grit my teeth. I want to cry. I want to wrap my arms around him too. But… I can't.

I push him away, almost instantly. "You got the wrong person," I say. "Please don't get so close to me."

"You're Lucy, right?" Natsu says, refusing to let me go. I try to push him away again, but this time, he keeps his grip around me even tighter. He is too strong.

"It's me, Natsu!" he says. "Remember? I was in that movie, Sabertooth, with you! I played Henry, remember?"

No, no. I don't want to remember. Stop. Please stop it!

"We were co-stars!" he says. "With… Wendy."

"No!" I scream without thinking. Natsu immediately lets go of me. The class stares at us, seeing the scene that we are creating.

"G-Get away from me!" I say, stuttering.

Natsu grabs my wrist. "No!" he shouts. "I won't let you go this time. I've been searching for you for nearly seven years! Do you really expect me to let you go again?"

"Eh?" I hear a girl whisper. "Co-star? Was Lucy an actor in the past?"

"I don't know," I hear a guy say. "Hold on, I'll google it."

No… No! People are going to find out! I begin to shake harder. I am afraid. I am so afraid.

"Natsu Dragneel," I hear Ms. Alberona say. "Can we leave personal chats for later? I need to start class now."

Slowly, his grip on my wrist loosens. "S-Sorry," he says.

"The seat behind Lucy is open," she says. "Sit there."

Natsu goes behind me and takes his seat. Ms. Alberona begins class.

"I know it's you," I hear Natsu whisper behind me. "I can't be mistaken. I just can't."

I gulp. Why out of all schools is Natsu Dragneel here? My childhood is going to be revealed because of him. I won't even be able to hide it from Sting or the rest of the orphanage any longer. It may even go viral.

"Lucy?" I hear Sting whisper beside me. "You okay?"

I smile at him. "Yeah. Thanks… Sting." He was always caring like this. Sometimes, even though I am older than him, he feels more like an older brother to me. But most of the time, he acts like a kid.

He blushes a little, running his hand through his hair, a habit when he is flustered. "N-No problem."

As Ms. Alberona is teaching, my classmates are secretly on their phones. I pray that they aren't searching up what Natsu just said, but even I know there is no avoiding it.

"Look!" I hear a girl whisper. "It's true! Lucy was a child actress!"

"Woah, holy crap," I hear someone else say. "But why is her last name different? The movie credits say that her name is Lucy Marvell."

"A stage name?"

"I don't know! But it seems that she was pretty famous—"

"Class!" Ms. Alberona shouts. "Please be quiet!"

 _Lucy Marvell…_ That was my old name. Whenever I hear it, I cringe. I force myself not to think about it. It will be okay. Just forget about it, me. Forget about it. Forget… about it.

Suddenly, I feel something gently put on my face. It is soft. Is this a handkerchief? It is soaking up my tears.

"If you're going to cry, at least don't make a mess on your notes," I hear a familiar voice say. I feel comforted when I hear that voice. It is Sting again. He always acts so maturely during these situations.

"Thanks, Sting," I say, taking the fabric.

* * *

"Lunch break!" Ms. Alberona says, leaving the classroom.

Instantly, all my classmates gather around Natsu and me.

"Hey, Lucy!" a guy says, holding up his phone. "Is this you?"

I look at the image. It is a screenshot of the movie that I was in as a child. My eyes widen. I don't want to see it.

"Lucy, is it true you used to be an actor?"

"Natsu, what are your relations to Lucy?"

"Hey, Lucy!"

"Natsu!"

I stand from my seat and push through the crowd, running. My peaceful life… This is all Natsu's fault. Why? Why did he have to come back to me? I've been hiding for all these years. Why does he still remember me? I'm not famous anymore. Always I have been hiding from the acting world. Even in school plays, I pretend to be sick.

I open the door to the school's rooftop. It is a restricted area, so no one will find me here. I take out Sting's handkerchief and dab my eyes with it. I need to stop crying.

"Lucy," I hear someone say.

I turn around. "Natsu."

"What are you doing here?" he says.  
"How did you know I was here?" I retort.

He laughs. "Well, back when we were training to be actors, whenever you were down, you would hide on the roof, remember?"

I groan. Why does he know me so well? But him remembering so much about me… makes me a bit happy.

"Lucy," he says, sounding serious. "Why did you quit acting? You were always so passionate about it."

"I—" I stare at the ground. "It's none of your business, Natsu."

"Is it because of Wendy?"

I freeze. Why is he mentioning her?

Natsu steps toward me, grabbing my shoulders. "Why?" he shouts. "We promised each other!" He begins to cry, shaking me. "We promised we'd become famous together. We promised that we would be the best, that we would make it to Hollywood."

"That was a long time ago," I say. "Grow up."

"I kept my promise," he says. "I thought that if I became famous, maybe one day, we would meet again. I thought you were trying too! That's why I worked so hard! But here you were doing nothing!"

I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. I have no excuse for my actions. "I… I'm sorry," I say.

His grip on my shoulders gets tighter. "I kept telling you this in the past, and I'm telling you this now," he says. He stares into my eyes. "Wendy's death wasn't your fault, Lucy. So come back. Come back, Lucy."

I bite my tongue. Stop. Stop it. Don't talk about her. Please. I am tempted to cry again, but I can't show my weak side.

"Wendy would want you back too," he says.

He tries to hug me, but I push him away. "I'm not going to act anymore," I say. "I can't do it."

"Why?" he says desperately. "Why? You have natural talent, so why?"

"Why are you so persistent?" I say. I take a step back, but he takes another step forward. Why does he keep following me like this? Eventually, I hit a wall. Natsu traps me with his arms, not allowing me to escape.

Suddenly, he bends toward me, putting his lips over mine. Time seems to stop for a moment. Am I processing this correctly?

Slowly, his lips come off.

"Lucy, I love you."

My eyes widen. Did he just confess to me? And my first kiss…

"I love you," he says. "I loved you ever since we were kids. So come back."

My past feelings come back. I want to tell him I love him. I want to tell him that I want to come back. I want to be an actress again. But then I remember. _Wendy_.

Natsu bends toward me again, attempting to kiss me again. I am tempted to go in for the kiss, but I push him away with all my strength.

"I'm sorry," I say. "I don't feel the same way."

I try to run away, but he grabs my wrist.

"It's because of Wendy," he says. "It's because of her, isn't it? It's because of her you can't return my feelings or come back as an actress, right? I keep telling you! It's not your fault she's gone."

"Let go of me," I say. If he is any closer to me like this, I might break.

"Come back," he says. "Return to my side."

"Lucy?" I hear a different voice say.

Natsu and I turn around. It is Sting.

Sting instantly runs to my side, standing between Natsu and me. He grabs Natsu's hand on my wrist, throwing it off. "What are you doing to her?" he yells angrily. "Celebrity actor or not, if you do anything to her, I won't forgive you."

Natsu squints his eyes, glaring at Sting. "Who are you?" he says.

"Who are you to get close to Lucy like this?" Sting says.

I grab onto Sting's shirt. I can feel myself trembling. "Sting, it's fine," I say. I pull his sleeve. "Let's just go."

"Lucy…" Sting says. He takes my hand and nods. "Alright." He looks back at Natsu and scowls at him again. "But next time he touches you, I won't forgive him."

He then pulls me away. His grip on my hand is tight. I have never seen him this angry in my life, even though we have been together for so long.

"Lucy!" I hear Natsu shout. I resist the temptation to turn back. "What happened to Wendy… It's not your fault! And you aren't alone! You have me."

Sting leads me to the back of the school. Natsu and I seem to be the talk of the school now. Rumors spread fast. Sting is still holding my hand tightly.

"Who is Wendy?" Sting asks. "And… how do you know that actor?"

I stare at the ground. He knows the answers to his questions, but I know that he doesn't want to believe it. So he is asking me. With our situation, I do not think I can keep it secret from him anymore. I rather he hears my explanation than listen to rumors by other students.

"I was adopted when I was a one-year-old at Fairy Tail Orphanage," I say. "The family that adopted me was the Marvells. And… just like that, I had a sister. Her name was Wendy, one year younger than me."

I begin to cry. Memories that I have always tried to forget fill my head again. But this time, I try to accept it. Sting hugs me tight. I allow my tears to soak into his uniform. He really is the only one who I will allow to see this part of me.

"I'll tell you everything," I say. "Everything about Wendy and Natsu."

\- **End of Chapter 1 -**

Hi, guys! This is my newest story! I hope you all enjoy it! As usual, I do not own the cover image. However, if you do know the writer, I would love it if you told me so I could give her/him credit.

Because it is summer, I will be updating this story **two to three times a week**. Thank you!

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	2. Chapter 2: Lucy

I, Lucy Heartfilia, was born sometime during the winter. Then… I was abandoned, thrown in the trash like everyday garbage. Luckily, an unknown person found me in the trash can, crying. This person turned me into the Fairy Tail Orphanage, where I met Gramps for the first time.

I only lived in the orphanage for my first year of life, so I did not have any memories of the place at the time. I was adopted by a family of famous actors, the Marvells. That was how I met Wendy Marvell, my younger sister. Apparently, her parents wanted her to have an older sister, so they decided to take me in. She and I grew up together to be very close. We both decided to follow our parents' careers as actors.

Ever since I could remember, I had gone to acting school. I started my acting career when I was six-years-old as a child actress. Wendy started a year later. We acted in a couple of shows and movies together, but it was Wendy's dream to act with this boy, known as the prodigy child actor.

His name was Natsu Dragneel.

When I was ten-years-old, my manager called me to act in a movie: _Sabertooth_. I was to play the main character's rival in love as a child, Olivia. I usually got parts in movies like that. I played as the _flashback_ child version of the main character or I was a younger sister or relative.

That day, Wendy also was called to be part of the movie: the main character as a child, Charlotte. We were to be childhood friends with a boy named Henry. It was the classic love triangle movie. And the boy playing Henry was…

Natsu Dragneel.

Wendy was so enthusiastic, finding out that he was the lover of her character. He was her idol after all. At this time, I didn't really know anything about Natsu, so I just supported her with her dream. We practiced our lines together. Sometimes I would play Natsu's part since they had the most scenes together.

On the day of the first shooting, we met with the other actors for the movie. I can still clearly remember my first meeting with Natsu.

* * *

Wendy and I walked around the set. Most of the actors and workers were adults. We politely bowed to each one, greeting them.

"Lucy!" Wendy said excitedly. "Where's _the_ Natsu Dragneel? I can't wait to act with him!"

I shrugged. "We'll eventually bump into him. I mean, he's bound to be here."

Wendy tip-toed, trying to see over the crowd of actors. "He can't be that hard to find," she said. "He has the coolest pink hair." She sighed in happiness, imagining him. I rolled my eyes. She was a serious fangirl.

I closed my eyes and yawned. I had stayed up the night before memorizing the rest of my lines for the first scene, so it was difficult for me to stay awake.

When I opened my eyes, I gasped. I had lost track of Wendy. Immediately, I began to run. I had to find her. She couldn't have gone too far, right? Wendy was the type to get lost anywhere, so I could never leave her alone. Tears ran through my eyes. Some kind of older sister I was. I couldn't even keep my eye on Wendy.

 _Wendy, where are you?_ I kept thinking as I cried. I ran through the crowd, accidentally tripping on someone's foot. I fell, face down onto the ground. I groaned in pain. Ouch.

Suddenly, I felt a hand wrap around my wrist. I instantly turned my head.

"Wendy?" I exclaimed.

When I saw the person's face, I sighed in disappointment. It wasn't Wendy. It was a boy.

"You okay there? What's wrong?" the boy asked. "You're crying."

I wiped my tears. "N-Not really," I replied as the boy helped me stand back up. I took another peek at the boy's face. He had slantly jet black eyes and tan skin. When I noticed the color of his hair, my eyes widened. Pink?

"Natsu Dragneel?" I said.

"That's my name," the boy laughs, flashing a toothy grin. I felt my heart jump. Why was my heart beating so quickly all the sudden? He was someone I just met after all. Maybe I was just nervous. Yes, it had to be just my nerves.

"Ah!" he shouted. He pointed to my face. "Y-You're Lucy Marvell!"

I covered my face in embarrassment. To think that a famous guy like him recognized me. I was honored, but it made me feel tense. "Y-You recognize me?" I asked.

He nodded. "Of course," he said. "You're pretty famous." Suddenly, his face turned as pink as his hair. He scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "Well, I'm pretty happy that someone like you knows of my existence."

"What?" I exclaimed in surprise. I laughed. "Aren't you the famous one here?"

Natsu raised one of his eyebrows. "Serious?" he asked. "No way. You think I'm famous? You're the prodigy here!"

"What?" I said. "I thought you were!" I looked down at the ground. I could feel blood rush to my face. "Well, I'm really happy that you think so highly of me."

"W-Well," he said sheepishly. He moved the tip of his foot from side to side, a habit he had when he was nervous. "It was always my dream to act with you. You were my inspiration."

My heart pounded even harder. _Oh my gosh,_ I thought. _No way._ To be recognized by such a talented actor was a once in a lifetime experience for me. I glanced at him to meet his eyes. Quickly, he turned his eyes away.

"So what happened?" he asked, trying to change the topic. "You were crying earlier so…"

"I lost my sister in the crowd," I explained. "I need help looking for her."

"Sister?" he said. "Didn't know you had one. Who is she?"

"Do you know who Wendy is?" I asked.

"Wendy?" he asked, a bit confused. "Who is that?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I suddenly felt a pang of guilt. How did he not know of Wendy? I was in so many movies with her, yet he only remembered me? How did this make sense?

"My sister," I said. "She's the one I am looking for—"

"Lucy!" I heard a familiar voice shout.

I instantly turned my head. "Wendy!" I exclaimed. I ran over to her, giving her a big hug. "Where were you, stupid?"

Wendy loosened the hug. "I can't find Nat—" Her eyes widened. She pointed behind me. "Na-Na-NATSU DRAGNEEL!" she shouted.

Natsu walked over to us. "Lucy?" he said. "Who's this—" His mouth opened into a small **o**. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "You're the girl who's always in shows and movies with Lucy!"

Wendy nodded. She put her hand over her heart, trying to calm herself down in front of her idol. "I'm her sister, Wendy Marvell! Nice to meet you!" she said in a rapid voice due to nerves. She extended her hand to Natsu for a handshake. "I'm playing your lover, Charlotte."

Natsu took her hand and politely nodded his head. "Glad to work with you," he said cooly.

Suddenly, his phone began to ring. He let go of Wendy's hand and looked at the screen. "Ah, sorry," he said. "It's my manager." He picked up the phone and talked for a while. Then he turned back to us.

"I got to go really quick," he said. "See you guys at the shoot!"

Wendy and I waved to him. "See you later," we both said in unison.

Suddenly, he turned back again. "B-Bye… Lucy…" he said quickly. Then he rapidly turned around and ran into the crowd until we couldn't see his bright pink hair anymore.

Immediately, once we lost sight of Natsu, Wendy turned to me and grabbed my shoulders. "What was that?" she exclaimed. "Does he know you?"

"We just talked for a bit," I said. I decided to hide the fact that he saw me as his inspiration and didn't even know Wendy's name. I was sure that Wendy and I were just about the same on the scale of fame, so it was odd to me. But for sure if Wendy heard about this, she would be upset.

"But he specifically said goodbye to you," she said. "Did something happen?"

"He helped me when I tripped," I quickly said as my excuse. "He was just making sure I was okay."

Wendy gasped. I swore that I saw hearts form in her eyes. "He's so sweet and nice!" she exclaimed. "But…" She looked at me suspiciously. "You don't like him, do you?"

"L-Like?" I said with a stuttering voice.

"You know, the romance type of like?"

"Of course not!" I instantly replied. "I just met him. How would I even develope feelings that quickly?"

"Don't lie, Sis," she said. "Your face is bright red."

I pulled the collar of my shirt. "I was running around while looking for you, so I am a bit hot," I said.

Wendy eyed me suspiciously, but soon shook it off. "Fine," she said. "But…" Her face turned a bit pink. "If you don't like him, will you support me?"

"Huh?"

"I think may have developed feelings for him," she said with a smile, hiding her red face under her jacket. "Beyond a fangirl…"

My eyes widened. I tried to speak, but, for some reason, I was too shocked.

"So, help me out!" Wendy pleaded. "Please! Big Sis!"

I didn't know why, but all the senses of my body kept screaming **no.** However, at this time, I couldn't understand. I couldn't understand the concept of feelings, the concept of being in love. Until I met Natsu, my heart had never beat like this before. Until I met Natsu, I had never felt so nervous like this before. Until I met Natsu, blood had never rushed so quickly to my face like this before.

"Okay," I said.

And… until I met Natsu, I had never felt this kind of jealousy like this before.

\- **End of Chapter 2 -**

 ** _Metallic Snow_**


	3. Chapter 3: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

"I love you," I said with tears in my eyes. I ran over to Natsu, hugging him from the back tightly. "Please. Don't leave me alone."

"I'm sorry," Natsu said. His face was tinted red as he forced his way out of my arms. "But the one I have feelings for is your best friend."

"CUT!" we heard a loud voice echo in the room. We turned around to see the director holding up a sign. "Natsu, why is your face so red? You are rejecting someone here, not accepting!" he said angrily. "You make your character look as though he were in love with Lucy's character. We have done this scene almost ten times. This isn't like you."

"S-Sorry!" Natsu replied, bowing to the director. "Please allow me to try again!"

The director sighed and made us do the scene again. It was odd that Natsu would mess up so many times. He was a prodigy after all, finishing each scene in the first-take most of the time. After about the fifteenth take, he was finally satisfied with our scene.

"That was good," he said. "We're shooting the next scene!"

Natsu sighed and sat down on a nearby chair. "Sorry for making you do the scene so many times," he said. "I just couldn't find the right expression."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine," I replied. "I have those moments too once in awhile."

"Only once in awhile?" Natsu laughed. "No wonder why they say you're a prodigy actress."

"Stop that," I said bashfully. "You're the prodigy actor here. Don't you ever see the news about you?"

"Have you ever seen the news about you?" he laughed, shaking his head. "And I was just following along," he said. "Well, whenever we have scenes together, we usually finish it in one-take. Maybe we're fated partners!" he exclaimed half-jokingly.

I knew he was just teasing, but my face turned red. "M-Maybe," I said with a grin.

We were close to the end of the movie shooting. After the adults shot the last scenes, we would be taking pictures for a couple of news articles and posters for our movie.

Suddenly, I felt a hand grab me. It was Wendy.

"Come here for a second," she said. She pulled me to her private dressing room. We sat on the couch as she took a deep breath.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Um…" she said, a bit flustered. She scratched the back of her head. "It's about Natsu."

Instantly, my heart dropped. But I ignored it. "What is it?" I asked nonchalantly.

"I think I'm going to confess once the adults finish shooting the last scene," she said with a smile. "So I was wondering, could you hide somewhere and watch us? I'll definitely feel more confident if you were there!"

I felt a lump in my throat. Pain suddenly enveloped my head. Why was I feeling so angry? I had to support her. It was my job as her older sister.

"Ah, I understand if you don't want to!" Wendy exclaimed. "I mean, it is a bit awkward."

I immediately shook my head. "No, it won't be awkward at all!" I said, giving her a thumbs up. "I'm your sister after all! It would be great to have someone like Natsu as a brother-in-law."

Wendy playfully slapped me with a pout. "Geez, Big Sis," she said with a flushed face. "Brother-in-law? You're going too fast!"

Maybe having Natsu as a brother wouldn't be that bad if their relationship went well. Wendy would be happy too. Our parents would be proud and the family of actors and actresses would continue. But… even though everyone would be so happy, why was I so upset by this?

Suddenly, we heard a knock on Wendy's door. We went over to see that it was the director. "Last scene is done," he said. "We'll be taking a thirty minute break and then take photos for advertisement."

"Yay!" Wendy exclaimed once he left. She high-fived me. "I'll be confessing at the nearby park later. Meet me there, okay? And find a good hiding spot!"

I nodded as she waved to me, leaving the room. I wondered how Natsu would respond to her confession. While shooting the movie, they did seem to get along well. Maybe he really did have mutual feelings for her.

Ah! What was I doing? I was spacing out again. I slapped my cheeks and headed out the door. I had to go to that park to help Wendy. Why was I so reluctant to do this anyway? All I had to do was watch. Nothing else. Yet… I really didn't want to do it.

What was I saying? I quickly walked to the park and searched for a place to hide before Wendy and Natsu came.

"What is it that you had to tell me?" I heard a familiar voice say from a distance. Oh crap. It was Natsu! I was too late. Desparate, I found a tree and hid behind it. Not the best hiding place, but I didn't have a choice with the leftover time.

"You see," I heard Wendy say. "I… uh… needed to tell you something."

I gulped. Curiously, I took a peek. Wendy looked panicked, looking from side to side. Ah, she was probably looking for me. I stuck my hand out and waved to her, hoping she would notice. Once we made eye contact, she smiled and sighed in relief.

"Something wrong?" Natsu asked.

"Not at all!" Wendy exclaimed. "I just wanted to tell you…"

"Tell me?" Natsu asked.

"I… Ever since you debuted, I've been a huge fan of yours. You inspired me to begin my acting career," she said, red faced. "And… working with you allowed me to go from just being an admirer to your friend. And I found that my feelings for you surpassed just being an ordinary fangirl."

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked cluelessly.

"What I mean is," Wendy said, looking at Natsu with determined eyes. "I love you."

Huh? Suddenly, my chest felt heavy. What was this feeling? My heart felt as though it would jump out of my body at any moment. It hurt. It hurt so much. Tears naturally fell from my face. I couldn't understand why I was feeling this way. Before I met Natsu, I had never had this kind of pain before. Did I have a heart disease?

I took another peek at Wendy and Natsu. What was going on?

"I… I'm sorry," Natsu said. "But the one I have feelings for is…" He stopped. Suddenly, he turned his head, making eye contact with me. My heart jumped. How did he know I was here? Crap. I tried to lower my head, hoping that he didn't notice me, but I was already too late. I was caught. Dammit, I should have come there earlier to find a hiding spot. The tree was too obvious!

But, who was the one whom he had feelings for? Somehow, curiosity would not stop filling my head.

"The one I have feelings for," Natsu said, continuing his sentence. "Was a girl who inspired me to begin my acting career. Every day before I started acting, I would watch Lamia Scale, a TV show, and she would appear on it."

My eyes widened. Lamia Scale? That was my first drama I did when I first started acting. I didn't play a very big part in it though. My character was pretty minor, so he probably wasn't talking about me. For some reason, I felt a sense of disappointment. Did he have feelings for one of my colleagues?

"I was moved by her acting," he said. "Even though she didn't play a big part, every movement, every word she said really stuck on me." He looked over at me, making eye contact with me again. I tried to look away, but for some reason, I couldn't move away from those jet black eyes.

Why couldn't I look away? At that moment, I found out why. It was my first time feeling like this, so it was difficult for me to comprehend. But now I understood.

I was in love with Natsu.

"Her name was Lucy Marvell, your sister," he said. "I fell in love with her."

 **\- End of Chapter 3 -**

Hi guys! Thank you for reading!

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	4. Chapter 4: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

"Her name was Lucy Marvell, your sister," Natsu said. "I fell in love with her."

Huh? My eyes widened. No way. Natsu… likes me? We had mutual feelings? I felt a sense of happiness fill me. I had never felt so delighted in my life. Who knew that having feelings returned felt this good?

Suddenly, Wendy turned and ran. Oh no. That was right. Even though I had my feelings accepted, she was rejected. And the person she loved… liked me. Instantly, I realized that our scenario was worse than I thought. It was like the movie that we just finished filming, just the other way around. The love triangle that we thought was just on film came to real life.

Out of instinct, I began to run after her until I felt someone's hand wrap around my wrist.

"Don't go," the person said.

I turned around and saw Natsu. His face was bright red as he gripped my hand tighter. He pulled my wrist toward him, making me fall into him. He hugged me tightly from the back, putting his chin over my shoulder. I had never noticed how much taller he was than me.

"I love you," he said. "Please don't leave me alone."

Ah. My eyes widened. He was reciting the scene that we repeated countlessly earlier today, except he was saying my lines.

"Do you know why the director made us do that scene over and over again?" he whispered in my ear. I could hear and feel the blood rushing into my face. "How could I stay calm when the girl I liked was confessing to me, even as an act?" he said, holding me closer.

I didn't know what to do. I just kept shaking, not sure how to react.

He put his finger over my eyes, wiping my tears. "Why were you crying when I was talking to Wendy?" he asked. But it was obvious that he knew the answer.

But I questioned whether I should have told him about my feelings. I thought about Wendy. How would she react? I had hidden how I felt the whole time, and in addition to that, she was rejected because Natsu had liked someone else. And that person was her own sister… me.

It was the ultimate betrayal that I could ever do to her.

"I know what you're thinking," Natsu said. "But despite all that between you and Wendy, I still like you. And you… feel the same way, right?"

My eyes widened. How did he know that I was worried about Wendy? I breathed deeply, trying to calm myself down. "I don't know," I said. "I just don't know."

"Lucy…"

"To tell you the truth, I do like you," I cried. "You're an important existence in my life. But as much as you're important, Wendy is even more. She is my priority in life." I grabbed his arms wrapped around my body and pull them off, just as Natsu did in our last movie scene together. "I'm sorry."

I began to walk away, trying my best not to turn back. I didn't know what kind of expression Natsu had when I left. He didn't chase after me for a reason. He probably already knew my reply. I felt like crying. A part of me wanted to accept him, but I had promised my adoptive parents: I would protect Wendy.

* * *

"You three look too awkward," the cameraman sighed as he put down his camera. "You guys were doing fine earlier. What happened?"

Natsu, Wendy, and I shrugged. We were at the shoot, trying to take a photo for the movie poster, but because of the incident earlier, not one of us could act normal. Somehow, we managed to make it to the end of the shoot. All that was left was the photo of the two female best friends that always stuck together, despite the love triangle between them.

We went to the site, the park nearby from earlier. I could feel the tense atmosphere build up. Wendy refused to look at me the whole time.

"Could you guys climb that tree and sit on the branches?" the cameraman said.

"Yes," Wendy and I replied.

I waited for Wendy to climb the tree first. Once I saw that she had sat on the branches safely, I followed. The tree for some reason seemed to be a bit old. Bark would fall whenever I stepped on it. Was this safe? Well, there were paramedics, so even if anything happened, it would be okay.

 _I should've said something about that old tree. If only I had…_

I sat on a thick branch, looking over at Wendy. She made a small forced smile at me.

"We're quite high up, aren't we?" she said.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"They won't even be able to hear what we are saying, huh?" she said, staring down at the movie and camera staff.

"Probably not," I replied.

"Hey, about Natsu," Wendy said. I felt my body tense up once she mentioned his name. "You heard him, right? About his feelings for you."

I gulped. "Don't worry!" I exclaimed. "I rejected him. There's no way I would have mutual feel—"

"Don't lie," Wendy said with a short laugh. "You always have that same expression when you lie."

"Miss Wendy! Miss Lucy!" the cameraman shouted loudly. "Will you two hold hands and look at each other?"

"Yes!" we both yelled back. Wendy extended her hand toward me with that same smile. I took it and held it tightly. The cameraman began to take photos.

"Big Sis," Wendy said. "Don't worry about me."

"What do you mean?" I asked. The tree creaked a bit. I looked down in panic. Was that my imagination?

"To be honest, I was a bit hurt that you didn't tell me about how you felt," Wendy said, staring at the sky. "But I kind of understand why you had a hard time telling me. I was obsessed with Natsu after all."

"Wendy…" I said. She seemed so mature at that moment as if she had suddenly become an adult. Compared to her, even though I was older, I felt like the younger child.

"So that's why, Lucy," she said. "Think about yourself for once—"

The tree creaked again. Wendy's eyes widened in horror. The creak was coming from the branch that she was sitting on!

"Wendy!" I screamed. I held her hand tighter and attempted to pull her toward me, but I was too late. The branch she was sitting on broke off.

"Ah!" Wendy screamed, beginning to fall. I tightened my grasp on her hand, moving my hand toward her wrist, barely saving her. Her body hung over the ground, many feet below. I could feel adrenaline fill my body as I panted in panic. Luckily, the cameraman had asked us to hold hands earlier, or else I would have really been too late.

My arm felt as though it would break out of my socket. All of Wendy's weight was on it and even I knew that I was not strong enough to pull her back up. I groaned as I tried my best to hold onto her. I couldn't let go. If I did, Wendy would die. Even if my arm would become disabled for life, I could not let go, not until we got help.

"Miss Wendy and Lucy!" I could hear our manager scream. "Someone help!"

The tree creaked again. I could feel the branch I was leaning on creak. Crap. This branch wasn't going to hold for long with Wendy and my weight combined. Security began to climb the tree, hoping to help out. But would the old tree be able to hold us all up?

"Lucy…" Wendy said, looking up at me. I knew that expression. She had given up.

"Don't give up!" I screamed. My vision was getting blurry from crying, making me unable to see clearly. "The security guards are going to climb this tree and save us. So don't give me that expression!"

"Didn't I tell you?" Wendy said, weakly smiling. "Think about yourself for once."

My eyes widened. Why was she mentioning this now? The tree creaked again.

"I overheard you talking with Natsu," she said. "I feel the same way. Even though Natsu is important to me, you are even more." Tears filled her eyes, contradicting the forced smile on her face. "So be happy, okay? Think for yourself. Put yourself first."

"What are you saying right now?" I shouted. "Don't talk like you're going to die! We're going to get out of this together! So hold onto me tight! The security guards are almost here!"

Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Wendy simply looked at me with a soft look, giving me that unique smile of hers that made her famous. "You're the best, Big Sis," she said. "I really love you."

She let go of my hand.

No.

 **No.**

"Wendy!" I screamed.

My eyesight was blurred because of the tears, but I saw with my own eyes… her body slamming onto the ground. Blood being splattered everywhere. Horror. Her clothes, her hair, her face… were all covered in red.

Now that I think back, she must had known that the branch carrying both of our weights would not last long if she had not let go. She had saved my life, but the young me at the time could not understand. I was too careless. I should have reported about the old tree. I should have said something, anything.

The security guards eventually got to me and safely got me off the tree as Wendy was immediately rushed to the hospital. The whole time, I couldn't process what had happened at all. I kept breathing deeply. According to my manager, I was almost completely silent as she drove me to the hospital to check on Wendy. All I did was bend over, cross my arms, and whisper her name over and over again.

I didn't want to believe that what I just saw was real.

 _This is just a dream right?_ I thought, grasping my fists together.

 **\- End of Chapter 4 -**

Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading this chapter! Hope you guys look forward to the next chapter of Lucy's past life as an actress!

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	5. Chapter 5: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

The car arrived at the hospital. The ambulance had already come earlier than us, so Wendy was already being operated on. I stepped out of the car when suddenly, crowds came around me. Reporters slammed their microphones into my face, asking me questions.

 _"We heard that Wendy Marvell fell from the tree."_

 _"What are your opinions on what happened?"_

 _"We hear she is in critical condition."_

 _"Are there any comments from your parents?"_

My manager and security guards tried to push the many reporters out of the way, but it seemed to be impossible to get through this hoard of people. I had always lived in front of a camera, but for the best time in my life, I found it annoying, irksome.

"Out of the way!" I screamed, running mindlessly into the crowd. I sprinted past all the reporters and cameras, throwing myself in the ER department of the hospital. I instantly began to search for Wendy. I went to the front desk, shouting "Where is Wendy Marvell?"

"VIP Room 12."

I didn't even have time to thank the woman. I was too panicked. As I ran, my legs felt heavier, as if I were turning into lead. I threw the door open as I burst into her room uninvited. My breaths slowed in relief when I saw Wendy lay on the bed, conscious. Her heart monitor beeped, but it was very slow. But she was alive.

"Patient has gone through the worst injuries," the doctor said, checking her. "However, I am not sure if she is stable yet."

 _Beep… Beep… Beep…_

"Lucy… where are you?" Wendy mumbled as she opened her eyes.

I instantly ran by her side and grasped onto her hand. "I'm here, Wendy," I said. "I'm right here." This time, I could not let go.

Wendy's eyes began to fill with tears. I felt her try to tighten her grip on my hand, but she was much too weak to do so. I could feel her hand tremble and shake. "Lucy…" she cried. "I'm scared."

"Don't worry, Wendy," I said calmly in a soothing tone. "Your sister is here. After this, we can go home. We finished recording so we can finally see Mommy and Daddy again very soon. It'll be okay."

Wendy's breaths began to quicken. Was she panting? "Big sis…" she managed to choke out behind her tears.

"Just hold on, okay? They'll come soon!" I exclaimed. I couldn't allow her to give up on her life again. Wendy was all I had. She was my priority, my most important person and… my only sister. Even though we weren't related, our bond was strong. I couldn't lose her.

"Lu… cy…" Wendy said. As if she used the last of her strength, she gave me her usual smile. But as she did, she looked like she was in so much pain. It was difficult to continue smiling to relief her. I couldn't cry in front of her.

"Big Sis…" she mumbled. "You look so beautiful."

Suddenly, her body jumped up. Her face began to turn red as she choked out blood, not able to breathe. My eyes widened. "Wendy!" I exclaimed, grabbing her arms down. Doctors and nurses surrounding the area began to gather at the area, trying to keep her down.

 _Beep—_

Wendy's eyes began to roll back as she lost consciousness. "Wendy?" I said slowly. "Wake up! Wendy!" I began to scream. A nurse behind me pulled me away and ran to my spot. I was in the way, but I was too out of my mind to notice.

"Wendy!" I yelled. I tried to run back to her, but other nurses held me by my arms. As a ten-year-old girl, I didn't have the strength to pull the adults away.

"Suspected rupture in her ribcage!" a doctor exclaimed. He seemed to be the head. "May have pierced through her lungs! Didn't you check her breaths?"

"W-We did!" another doctor said, her eyes widening in fear. She seemed to be a newbie, perhaps an intern. "She showed no signs of shortness of breath when we checked!"

"Well, you were wrong!" the doctor shouted back. "Patient is under cardiac arrest!

A nurse quickly nodded, bringing a pair of scissors. She cut through Wendy's shirt, exposing her stomach and chest area. Another doctor pressed his stereoscope onto her body, checking for heartbeat. Another wrapped a band on her wrist, checking for blood pressure.

"Her blood pressure is too low!" the doctor shouted. "Glasgow Coma Scale is 4! She won't make it through!"

Pressure was building up among the doctors and nurses. "What are you doing?" the head doctor shouted. He grabbed two orange paddles to brought it to Wendy's body. "100 Joules!" he shouted. Instantly, all workers took a step back. "Stand back!"

Wendy's body jumped in reaction to the shock.

"200 Joules!" he shouted again. "Stand back!"

Her body jumped again. No heartbeat.

"300 Joules!" The doctor was beginning to become desperate. "Stand back!"

Another jump.

He took the paddles away and looked at the female doctor from earlier. "What are you doing?" he shouted. "Are you going to continue acting like an observer forever? Start CPR!"

The doctor quickly nodded and moved onto the bed. She began to press on Wendy's chest as a nurse held an airbag over Wendy's mouth. Tears filled my eyes as I watched how emotional doctors were when saving patients.

Suddenly, I felt a pull on my arm. The nurses were trying to make me leave the room. I was being a nuisance by standing there, but I didn't want to go. I felt that if I left, I would never see Wendy ever again. I would be alone.

However, eventually the nurses had managed to make me leave. I sat outside Wendy's room, crying. How could I allow her to be in this condition? Why did I allow her to let go? Why did I allow her to give up? I couldn't accept this. She couldn't leave me.

"Lucy," I heard a familiar voice say above me. I looked up to see my adoptive mother and father looking down at me with stern faces. I excepted words of comfort from them, but the next thing that happened completely shocked me.

"Leave our family," my father had said.

My eyes widened. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. Everything that was happening that day… it had to be a dream right?

"Your existence only puts Wendy in danger," my mother said. "We know it and you know it too, don't you? Leaving our family will be the best for Wendy."

They said those words so calmly, yet their expressions were frightening. I saw no love from them anymore, only hate. I didn't blame them. An outsider like me ruined Wendy. I was a bad influence to her. And they were right. It was best that I leave.

So I did.

I was brought back to the orphanage that they had adopted me from. I left my acting career abruptly. The orphanage was in the countryside, so no one would know me. It was also where I met Sting Eucliffe, a boy whose parents passed away when he was five-years-old.

\- **End of Chapter 5 -**

One more chapter of Lucy's past life and we'll finally see how she is in the present with Natsu! Hope you guys look forward to it!

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	6. Chapter 6: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

Sting Eucliffe was the first kid I met at the orphanage. He was a month younger than me, so technically I was his "older sister". I wasn't too happy about being the oldest child there and I especially disliked how the orphanage ran on the concept that everyone was part of the family. I didn't want to live with a family anymore. I was afraid to make bonds. The more bonds I made, the more that were possible to break.

After breaking my bond with Wendy, I didn't want to experience that ever again.

I heard a knock on my door. "Lu… Lucy?" a shy high-pitched voice said from the other side.

I didn't say anything. I was just curled up in the corner of my room, closed window, closed lights.

"I'm coming in," the voice said, opening the door. I looked up to see a boy with spiky golden hair and bright blue eyes. Cautiously, he walked toward me. "You're the new girl, right?"

I shrugged. Technically I was here from around my birthday until I was one-year-old, but I guessed that it didn't count.

He extended his hand toward me. "Nice to meet you," he said. "I'm Sting Eucliffe, ten-years-old."

"Oh."

Sting frowned. "Quite quiet, aren't you," Sting muttered as if he were used to this situation. He sat down next to me on my bed and pat my head. "Come on," he said. "Aren't you supposed to be my big sister here? Let's get along."

 _Big sister…_

" _Big Sis!"_ I could hear Wendy's voice echo in my head. I felt myself tense up from those two words. No, I didn't want to be an older sister anymore. I failed Wendy… I couldn't protect here. How could I just ruin another person's life?

"Look," Sting said. Gently, he held both of my hands, grasping them tightly. "I don't know what happened to you, but we're family now. So share your burden with me. If you're feeling down, then I'll be sad too. I won't smile until you do."

Out of shock, I looked up at him, staring directly into his innocent blue eyes for the first time. Suddenly, he looked down, his face full of red. Then he looked back up at me and laughed. "You finally smiled."

Huh? I touched my cheek and to my surprise, I was grinning unconsciously. Was this feeling relief?

"Just keep smiling like that, okay?" he said. "You look a hundred times better when you do. And to make sure you stay in the prettiest form you can be," he pointed at himself with a grin. "You can count on this little bro to cheer you up!"

My eyes widened. How did someone, whom I barely knew, understand me so well? Tears began to pour out of my eyes. I tried to grit my teeth to stop my crying, but I couldn't help it.

"Woah!" Sting exclaimed, surprised. "Did I make you mad? I'm sorry! Ah, um." Sting began to scramble around. "Uh. Tissues. Tissues."

"Lonely," I mumbled.

"Huh?"

"I was so lonely," I cried louder. "I was so lonely."

Sting stopped scrambling around and gave me a soft smile. He took my hand, pulling me toward him. Then he wrapped his arms around me tightly. "Don't worry," he said in a comforting tone. "You aren't alone anymore. I'm here. Gramps is here. Fairy Tail is here for you."

And just like that, Sting held me until I calmed down. I never told him what happened with Wendy. I was just so ashamed of it. I wanted to bury it in my past, until… I saw _him_ six years later.

Natsu Dragneel.

- **End of Chapter 6 -**

I know that this was a short chapter, but don't worry! The next chapter will be extra long, I promise! And it will be in Natsu's POV so please look forward to it on Friday this week!

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	7. Chapter 7: Natsu

**Natsu Dragneel**

Ever since I, Natsu Dragneel, was young, I have always been a huge fan of an actress, Lucy Marvell. I was intrigued by her. Even though we were the same age, she had become such a huge figure, a prodigy actress. I was obsessed with her. I read articles about her. I bought every magazine I saw her in. It was to the point I would do anything just to meet her. Maybe at that point, I had already fallen for her.

That was when I was at the mall with my mother a year after I found out about Lucy. We happened to pass by a person, desperate to find a child to do his commercial for water guns. It was like fate. Just like that, I started off as a model, then expanding to acting.

Everything was so that I could meet her.

Of course, I came to love acting. But when my manager came to me with my next drama, Sabertooth, I could not believe whose name came up as the cast.

 **Lucy Marvell.**

No way.

My idol. The person who inspired me to start my acting career. We would be in the same drama.

I remember the day I was to meet the cast. It was crowded, full of adults. The short child me was desperate to find that blonde girl of my dreams.

That was when I spotted a girl, face full of tears, running through the crowds.

"Wendy!" she cried. "Wendy, where are you?"

Suddenly, she tripped over a person's foot, slamming straight into the ground. Oh no! I had to help her. Quickly, I sprinted toward her, grabbing her wrist.

"You okay there? What's wrong?" I asked. "You're crying."

"N-Not really," she stammered, immediately wiping her tears. She kept her head down, embarrassed for crying. Suddenly, she looked up and made eye contact with me, her eyes widened. "Natsu Dragneel?" she said.

Ah, she knew who I was? Well, I was getting pretty popular at the time, so I wasn't too surprised. "That's my name," I said with a grin. I looked at the girl. Hold up. This shade of blonde hair was familiar. No way. I looked at her face more clearly and my mouth opened in shock.

"Ah!" I shouted. I pointed at her, my finger shaking. "Y-You're Lucy Marvell!"

And that was how I was first acquainted with Lucy. To my surprise, she seemed to be a fan of mine also all this time. So in a way, we were both our idols. Well, unless it was her sister who was more into me, because I did notice that Wendy was way more shocked when seeing me.

As we did many scenes together for the drama, I found myself finding her to be more than an idol to me. Every expression she made made my heart pound. I didn't think she knew it, but one little smile from her was enough to make my day. Her presence alone was enough for me to realize how special, how distinct she was.

I had fallen for her.

Funny thing was, in the drama, I was supposed to reject her, which was clearly impossible.

I remember filming that scene as if it were yesterday.

* * *

"I love you," Lucy said with tears in her eyes. She ran over to me, hugging my back tightly. "Please," she pleaded as I felt blood rush to my face. "Don't leave me alone."

I gulped. My hands shook as I touched her hands on my stomach. "I'm sorry," I said. I forced myself to grab her hands and throw them away from me. "But the one I have feelings for is your best friend—"

"CUT!" the director screamed yet again. Instantly, the two of us turned to him. His brows were bent down, creating wrinkles on his forehead. Oh crap. I knew he was pissed.

"Natsu," he said in a disappointed voice. "Why is your face so red? You are rejecting someone here, not accepting!" He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "You make your character look as if he were in love with Lucy's character. We have done this scene almost ten times. This isn't like you."

I mentally groaned. How was I supposed to reject a person that I was so obviously interested in? Even though I knew it was just an act, Ii couldn't help it. Her voice, even as a different character, was confessing to me. How was I supposed to do my job like that?

* * *

Around the end of the shooting for the drama, I was quite upset. After this, would I ever see Lucy again? I hadn't even gotten her number, being too shy. While I worrying about that, suddenly, my co-actress Wendy, the girl who played the person my character was in love with, approached me, a bit red-faced.

 _Ah,_ I thought. _This girl… is Lucy's sister, right?_

"Um… Natsu," she said, looking up at me shyly. "Can we talk?"

She led me to the park nearby. Not one of us made a sound. In the past, we did talk a bit, but I never felt as close to Wendy as I did with Lucy. But anyway, Wendy would never bring me out this far if nothing was wrong.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"Not at all!" Wendy exclaimed. She waved her hands around, attempting to hide her pink face. "I just wanted to tell you…"

"Tell me?" I asked, a bit confused. Because I felt a bit awkward being with Wendy alone, I began to look around at the trees. Making eye contact was too much. Huh? At the corner of my eye, I spotted a blonde, hiding behind a tree. Was that Lucy?

"I… Ever since you debuted, I've been a huge fan of yours. You inspired me to begin my acting career—" Wendy kept talking, but for some reason, I couldn't hear a word she said. My eyes were glued onto Lucy, hiding behind the tree. She looked as if she were about to cry. But I could not just cut Wendy off, so I resisted the urge to run to her.

"And I found that my feelings for you surpassed just being an ordinary fangirl," I heard Wendy say when I finally came back to my senses.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling a bit guilty that I blanked out while she was talking.

"What I mean is," Wendy said. She looked up at me with determined eyes. "I love you."

 _What?_ I thought, completely shocked. I had no idea. But… wasn't this Lucy's sister? I gulped. How was I supposed to react? I had to reject her, but I would have to hurt the person Lucy cared for the most.

Suddenly, I heard a sniffle from Lucy's direction. I looked up and my eyes widened.

Lucy was crying.

I looked back at Wendy. I understood the situation now. Lucy most likely shared the same feelings as me; however, she refused to admit it because her little sister liked me. But looking at Lucy's tears, if I didn't reject Wendy's feelings, she would definitely cry even more.

 _Was this a bad decision?_

"I… I'm sorry," I said. "But the one I have feelings for is…" I stopped to look once again at Lucy. My heart jumped when I saw that she was looking back at me. Instantly, she bent back down, hiding in the bushes. I probably wasn't supposed to know that she was there. But, was this my chance to confess?

"The one I have feelings for," I said again. "Was a girl who inspired me to begin my acting career. Every day before I started acting, I would watch Lamia Scale, a TV show, and she would appear on it."

I heard the bushes rustle a bit. I knew that it was Lucy. She must have recognized that title.

"I was moved by her acting," I said. "Even though she didn't play a big part, every moment, every word she said really stuck on me." I saw her head peek out of the bushes, again making eye contact with me. I felt a lump on my throat. Both of us would not dare to look away.

This was my chance.

"Her name was Lucy Marvell, your sister," I said, looking back at Wendy. "I fell in love with her."

I watched as Wendy's eyes filled with tears. I bit my lip, knowing that I hurt her badly. Immediately, she turned and ran back to the shooting area. I looked over at Lucy, running out of the bushes to run after Wendy.

I didn't know why I did it, but I ran after Lucy, grasping onto her slim wrist.

"Don't go," I said.

Slowly, Lucy turned around.

I took a deep breath. I tightened my grasp onto her wrist and pulled her toward me, making her crash into my chest. I then wrapped my arms around her tiny body, putting my chin over her shoulder.

"I love you," I said, reciting the scene that we did earlier. "Please don't leave me alone."

Lucy froze, not knowing how to react as I told her how I could not contain my feelings while doing that scene.

I wiped her tears away from her eyes with my finger. "Why were you crying when I was talking to Wendy?" I asked.

She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She looked to the right, refusing to make eye contact. I knew what she was thinking. It was Wendy. Even though she liked me, she could not bear to betray Wendy, knowing fully well of her feelings.

"I know what you're thinking," I said as I pulled her closer. "But despite all that between you and Wendy, I still like you. And you… feel the same way, right?"

My heart beated faster as I listened to Lucy breathe, trying to calm down.

"I don't know," she cried. "I just don't know."

"Lucy…" I said.

"To tell you the truth, I do like you," she cried. You're an important existence in my life. But as much as you're important, Wendy is even more. She is my priority in life." She grabbed my arms wrapped around her body and pull them off, just as I did in our last movie scene together. "I'm sorry."

She began to walk away. I felt my heart drop. Somehow, I had predicted this, yet why did I still confess? I just could not keep my feelings to myself anymore. Even though I knew, I still questioned it.

 _Why can't we be together?_

It was quite ironic actually. In the movie, it was the other way around. I liked Wendy and rejected Lucy. But in real life… it was Wendy I rejected and Lucy I fell for.

But unlike a drama, just because two people were in love, didn't mean that they could be together.

That was the case for Lucy and me.

Little did I know that this moment was the last time I would speak to Lucy.

* * *

After taking a few pictures with Wendy and Lucy, I left the shoot for the last time. I did not even say goodbye to either of them, being too awkward.

But later on the day, as I was watching the news, I could not believe my eyes.

There had been an accident.

Wendy and Lucy were taking a photo on a tree when Wendy's branch snapped off, leading to her falling. Apparently the height of the tree was equivalent to a four story building, so it would be no surprise if Wendy had not made it.

By the time I rushed to the hospital, it was too late. Wendy's condition was kept unknown, many saying she had passed away. And…

Lucy was gone.

I tried to find any source of her, but no one had known where she had gone. I asked the police; however, they had told me that her location was to be secret. I tried talking to her parents, but they refused to even mention her name. No one was allowed to know any information about her whereabouts.

But… I never gave up.

I continued looking for her. Maybe if I became a big enough star, she would come to one of my meet-ups in the future.

I lived thinking that for almost seven years… until that day.

I transferred to a high school in the middle of nowhere.

 **\- End of Chapter 7 -**

Sorry for not updating on Friday like I promised! I was so intrigued by the opening ceremony of the Olympics that I forgot! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	8. Chapter 8: Natsu

**Natsu Dragneel**

"Natsu," my manager says. "Don't be like that. School might be a great experience to enhance your understanding of a high school student for your next drama."

I shrug, slouching on my chair. I don't understand why they want me in school so badly. I did fine with private tutoring, why did I need to go to a school? To study school life, all I had to do was watch a high school drama. What was the point of all this? I could be earning money right now! Not going to school.

"We're here, Natsu," my manager says, getting out of the black van and getting ready to pull the door open for me. I can already hear screams from my fans. I grin a bit. I can never get sick of hearing those screams.

Once the door opens, I see crowds of students in uniform shouting and waving. Reporters are also here with cameras. I step out of the van and wave. "Hey!" I shout loudly. Watching my fans wave back encouraged me to be a bit more optimistic about school, but I still wished that I was back at the shoot practicing my lines.

Suddenly, I see a blonde girl pass through the crowd, trying to get into the school building with another boy. _Lucy?_ was the first thought that came across my mind. But I know better that it is not her. I've been through that awkward situation too many times. Me tapping a random blonde's shoulder, thinking it was Lucy every time.

But why does that girl's back of head feel so familiar to me? Could it really be her?

No, I'm just being stupid.

"Natsu?" my manager says. "You okay? You look pale."

I quickly shake my head. "I'm fine," I say with a smile. "Just a bit nervous about my first day of school."

I hear more screams, shouting "You're so cute!" or "I'll show you around!" I turn back to the crowd and wave with a smile. "Thank you!" I shout. Then I begin to make my way into school grounds. The girls part to the side so I can walk pass.

I walk over to the principal's office and meet my homeroom teacher, Ms. Alberona. She tells me to wait outside classroom until she calls me in, so my manager leaves me. I lay my head against the wall.

I can't help but think about that girl. How many girls in Japan even have blonde hair? And this is the countryside. I doubt anyone would dye their hair here. So that girl…

No, Natsu. Lucy was always a city girl. It can't be her. What are you even thinking?

"Please come in," I hear Ms. Alberona say.

I take a deep breath and open the door. I take a step in, instantly hearing girls screaming.

"Class!" Ms. Alberona says. "Please be quiet!"

I am tempted to laugh. I find my fans quite cute. Without them, I would not be where I am today.

I look forward with my signature smile. "Hey!" I shout, looking around the room to make eye contact with everyone. "I'm Natsu Dragneel. I won't be here often because of my acting career, but I—"

I feel a lump in my throat as I make eye contact with these familiar chocolate brown eyes. I feel every muscle in my body tense up. My pulse begins to accelerate dangerously as I focus my eyes on her facial features. They are different but familiar. And that shade of blonde… I could never miss it.

"Lu… cy…" I say without thinking.

Instantly, she freezes.

It's her. She responded to her name.

Everyone around me just seems to disappear. The only person I can see in front of me is her. I take a step forward. Then another. Soon, I find myself running towards her, embracing her body into my arms. Tears roll down my face.

"Lucy!" I cry. "Lucy! You idiot!" I keep on screaming, completely forgetting about my new classmates around me. "Where have you been? I've been searching for you everywhere!" I shout. I can't believe that the person right here is Lucy. I can't tell if I am happy or upset at her. All I know is that I am relieved to see her in one piece.

Lucy doesn't say anything. She is speechless.

"You're an idiot!" I exclaim. "A real idiot!" Why did she run away? Why did she leave me and Wendy behind? I had so many questions to ask, yet none of them can leave my mouth.

Suddenly, Lucy pushes me away, her eyes widened. My mind quickly goes back to reality. Aw, shoot! I completely forgot that I was in the middle of introducing myself! I look around and see that all my new classmates are staring, confused.

"Y-You got the wrong person," Lucy says, trembling. "Please don't get so close to me."

I shake my head. She is lying. There is no way that my instincts could be wrong. The girl that I was searching for seven years is right here. I can't be wrong. "You're Lucy, right?" I say, grabbing her shoulders tightly. "It's me, Natsu!" I say, almost pleading. "Remember? I was in that movie Sabertooth with you! I played Henry, remember?"

Lucy doesn't look back at me, but once I mention Sabertooth, she flinches. It is definitely her. But why is she hiding like this? Why is she in the countryside? She should be in the city, promoting herself. She was a prodigy actress. What happened?

"We were co-stars!" I exclaim. "With… Wendy."

"No!" she screams loudly.

I instantly let go of her. My eyes widen. I had hit a nerve. I knew I did. Why did I mention her sister's name? Crap. I should've thought before I spoke. What do I do now? Shit.

"G-Get away from me!" Lucy screams, in the brink of tears.

"No!" I shout back, grabbing her wrist. How could she say that when I have been searching for her for so long? "I won't let you go this time," I say. "I've been searching for you for nearly seven years! Do you really expect me to let you go again?"

I hear the class whispering behind our backs, confused. But I could care less. I couldn't let Lucy go. But why is she so afraid? I can feel her trembling at my touch.

"Natsu Dragneel," I suddenly hear my teacher interrupt. "Can we leave personal chats for later? I need to start class now."

I loosen my grip around Lucy's wrist and let go. I turn to the teacher and bow. "Sorry," I say.

"The seat behind Lucy is open," she says. "Sit there."

Obediently, I go behind Lucy and take my seat as Ms. Alberona begins class.

As the teacher lectures on proofs on algebraic functions, I stare at the back of Lucy's head. I know it's her. I can't be wrong. I just can't. I can't be mistaken.

"Lucy?" I spot a blonde boy next to her say. "You okay?"

She smiles at him, nodding. "Yeah," she says. "Thanks… Sting."

The boy, apparently named Sting, turns slightly pink. He runs his hand through his hair. "N-No problem."

Who does he think he is? And what kind of name is Sting? Did his parents name him after some kind of bee? I roll my eyes. Whatever.

Suddenly, I overhear some girls close to me talking.

"Look!" I hear a girl whisper. "It's true! Lucy was a child actress!"

"Woah, holy crap," I hear someone else say. "But why is her last name different? The movie credits say that her name is Lucy Marvell."

"A stage name?"

"I don't know! But it seems that she was pretty famous—"

"Class!" Ms. Alberona shouts. "Please be quiet!"

I watch Lucy's small back shake in fear. My eyes widen. Could it be that she hid her identity on purpose? The girls did mention that her last name was different. Did she change her name? Since when? Was that why I could not find her? Why would she go through such lengths just to avoid me? So many questions linger in my mind.

The blonde bee-looking boy Sting takes out a handkerchief out of his bag and sticks his hand out, leaning toward Lucy. He then dabs her eyes. Was she crying? I should've known and given her a tissue! What am I doing?

"If you're going to cry, at least don't make a mess on your notes," Sting says gently with a comforting smile.

Lucy looks back at Sting. I notice that her face is red. "T-Thanks, Sting," she says, taking the napkin from his hand.

How did this guy… just how? I should have been the one to notice that she was hurt first. How did I not notice? That guy is taking my place. No. He took my place. When did he even meet Lucy? They seem close. Is he her boyfriend? But… she was mine first. Why is he does he have what is mine? This doesn't make sense.

That should be me.

\- **End of Chapter 8 -**

~ Previous Announcement ~

Hey, guys! Sorry that I haven't uploaded in so long. School started about three weeks ago and this year really decides whether I get into a good college or not, so I have been focusing a lot on my studies. From now on, I can't guarantee when will be the next time I upload a chapter, but I do promise that I will finish the story. Like I always say, I will never leave a story unfinished! That would be just too cruel for you guys and me, haha.

Anyway, thank you to those who will be patient :) I'll try my best to make time and hopefully upload a chapter soon!

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	9. Chapter 9: Natsu

**Natsu Dragneel**

"Lunch break!" Ms. Alberona says, leaving the classroom.

Instantly, all my new classmates gather around Lucy and me. I look over to see a guy holding his phone up to Lucy with a picture of her younger self back when she acted. "Hey, Lucy!" the guy says. "Is this you?"

Lucy's eyes widen when she sees it. She opens her mouth to answer, but she is shaking too much.

"Lucy, is it true you used to be an actor?"

"Natsu, what are your relations to Lucy?"

"Hey Lucy!"

"Natsu!"

I hear Lucy's chair screech as she pushed it away, running away from the crowd. She covers her eyes with her arm, so she is obviously crying.

"Huh?" a girl says. "Where did she go? She didn't answer our question!"

Immediately, I stand from my seat and run after her. However, as I go around the halls chasing after her, crowds gather around me, making me lose her. Dammit, where did she go?

Suddenly, I remember. When Lucy is upset, she usually goes to high places. Does this school have a roof? I ran around more, getting my fans off my trail. I sneak around and then slowly climb up the stairs, not making a noise. I see that the lock to the roof has been picked. Curiously, I take a peek in and sure enough I see Lucy, crying.

"Lucy," I say without thinking.

Instantly, Lucy turns around, her hair going into a circle. "Natsu," she says.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.  
"How did you know I was here?" she retorts, quickly wiping her tears away.

I can't help but laugh when she wipes her tears away. Why is she so stubborn? She should just admit that something is wrong. "Well, back when we were training to be actors, whenever you were down, you would hide at the roof, remember?"

Lucy groans and messes up her hair. I know that habit. When she does that, it means she is nervous. Could it be that she is conscious of me? Then again, she was hiding that she was an actress. Maybe she was nervous because I basically revealed everything, which I honestly feel bad about since she looks so hurt right now.

"Lucy," I say, walking a bit closer to her. "Why did you quit acting? You were always so passionate about it."

"I—" Lucy stares at the ground. "It's none of your business, Natsu."

I feel a lump in my throat. Somehow I have a feeling that I know why. I muster up my courage and take a deep breath. "Is it because of Wendy?" I say.

Lucy instantly cringes at the name. I had hit the spot. It was because of her.

I can not hold my feelings anymore. I step towards her, grabbing her shoulders. "Why?"I yell. "We promised each other!" Tears roll down my eyes as I shake her harder. "We promised we'd become famous together. We promised that we would be the best, that we would make it to Hollywood."

"That was a long time ago," Lucy says coldly. "Grow up."

Why is she being like this? I can feel her shaking. She is so obviously lying. I know that she didn't want to give up acting. So why would she do such a thing?

"I kept my promise," I say. "I thought that if I became famous, maybe one day, we would meet again. I thought you were trying too! That's why I worked so hard! But here you were doing nothing!"

Did she not even miss me? Did she even think about me? How I would feel when she left without any word? How I would live without her in my life? I could not even see her on television. You just went missing mysteriously. Your parents told the media that you were quitting so suddenly right after we finished our drama. All of this happened right after Wendy… Why?

"I… I'm sorry," Lucy says sincerely

I grip onto her tighter. I feel as if I let her go, she would disappear. I wonder if Lucy blamed herself for Wendy's death all this time. "I kept telling you this in the past, and I'm telling you this now," I say, grabbing her shoulders to force her to make eye contact with me. "Wendy's death wasn't your fault, Lucy. So come back. Come back, Lucy."

Lucy begins to breathe faster. I know she is afraid. She is afraid of coming back. Maybe even afraid of what the media would say about her for running away from her job.

"Wendy would want you back too," I say, becoming more desperate. I wrap my arms around her. She can't leave me alone again. She just can't.

Lucy pushes me away. "I'm not going to act anymore," she says, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I can't do it."

"Why?" I say. I couldn't understand. "Why? You have natural talent, so why?"

"Why are you so persistent?" Lucy asks, taking a step away from me. I take a step forward. She can't run away again. She keeps taking steps back as I walk towards her. Eventually we hit a wall. I trap her in my arms. I can't hold my feelings anymore. If I don't release them now, what if she disappears again? What if I never see her again in my life?

I don't know why, but in that moment, I could not hold back any longer. I bend down towards her quickly, pressing myself on her. Then I gently place my lips over hers. The soft impact of her soft lips sends sparks through my body. She doesn't resist, but she doesn't kiss me back either.

Slowly, I lift my lips off hers and stare at her straight in the eye.

"Lucy, I love you," I say.

Lucy's eyes widen, still shocked. She tries to reply but she is too stunned to speak.

"I love you," I say again. "I loved you ever since we were kids. So come back."

She still doesn't reply. My lips seem to itch to feel hers again, so I bend down toward her. I watch her with half-open eyes going for the kiss as well, but at the last minute, she pushes me away abruptly.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I don't feel the same way." Then she quickly runs away toward the door.

What? How? But we just kissed. You were just about to kiss me again. You told me that you loved me seven years ago. When did that change? Your expression tells me that you're lying. Your tears say otherwise to your statement. Why are you lying to me again? Why are you doing this to me?

Refusing to let her go again, I run after her and grasp onto her wrist. "It's because of Wendy!" I shout, slightly irritated. "It's because of her, isn't it? It's because of her you can't return my feelings or come back as an actress, right? I keep telling you! It's not your fault she's gone."

"Let go of me," Lucy says coldly, not making eye contact with me.

Liar. I watch her body tremble. She doesn't want me to let go.

"Come back," I say. "Return to my side."

"Lucy?" we suddenly hear a different voice say. Who is it? I turn around to see that blonde Sting guy from earlier. What is he doing here? How is he related to Lucy?

Sting's eyes widen. Soon his eyebrows arch in anger. He immediately runs to Lucy and grabs my hand, forcing it off Lucy's wrist. He stands in between Lucy and me and glares intensely, as if I were his enemy.

"What are you doing to her?" he shouts. "Celebrity actor or not, if you do anything to her, I won't forgive you."

I squint my eyes at Sting. Who is he to say that? Does he even know who I am? I am _the_ Natsu Dragneel. Lucy was my co-actress. We have definitely known each other longer than this blond guy. How stupid of him to do this.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"Who are you to get close to Lucy like this?" Sting retorts back.

Damn him. Does he think that he is in a position to defy me and not answer my question? I want to throw a punch at him, but I can see Lucy trembling behind Sting. Lowering my fist, I realize. This guy… must be a trusted friend of Lucy's.

"Sting, it's fine," Lucy says, pulling his sleeve. "Let's just go."

Sting looks back at Lucy with a worried expression. Slowly, he nods and takes her hand. "Alright," he says, looking back at me with a scowl. "But next time he touches you, I won't forgive him."

As they walk away, I feel my heart break. "Lucy!" I shout, just begging to have her turn back at me again. "What happened to Wendy isn't your fault!" I scream at the top of my lungs. "And you aren't alone! You have me!"

But she doesn't look back.

I cover my face with my hand and fall onto the floor. I lean against the cold wall and begin to cry. It is _unmanly_ and _uncool_ , but I can't help it. I feel like I just lost her forever. I feel like that moment was my last chance, and I just blew it. To be honest, I didn't even care if she decides never to act anymore. I just wanted to be with her. And… I thought that if she started acting again, I could have more excuses to see her, spend time with her… _be_ with her.

And who was that guy? The blond Sting guy. He was holding Lucy's hand as if it were the most delicate thing in the world. That hand belonged to me. Why was he holding it?

Is he her boyfriend?

Did she get a boyfriend after leaving me?

I thought we were together, even after she left me.

I thought we would have a future.

What is this?

Who is he?

Why am I alone again?

Why am I crying again?

\- **End of Chapter 9 -**

Hey guys! I am learning to manage my time well so I can have a little time to write every day! Hopefully I can continue updating weekly like this!

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter~ See you guys next time!

~ **_Metallic Snow_**


	10. Chapter 10: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

"I'm sorry," Sting says. He hugs me tightly. "I… I had no idea."

I shake my head. "It's fine, Sting. I told you because I wanted to. I just… I have just been-"

"Holding it in for so long?" Sting asks gently, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I understand. It must have been hard for you."

I begin to cry harder. Yes. It was hard. It was hard to leave Wendy in that hospital room. It was hard to adapt to life in the orphanage. It was hard to forget my passion for acting. And… it was hard to forget my love for Natsu Dragneel.

"Do you still have feelings for him though?" Sting asks. "Natsu, I mean."

I open my mouth to say no, but no words come out, just tears. I stare at the ground, breathing heavily. It was hard to forget my love for Natsu Dragneel. It was so hard that it was impossible for me. I still love him.

"Can't it be me?"

Huh? My eyes widen as I look up. Sting looks at me with a determined look.

"Can't it be me?" he repeats.

My mind seems to be spinning. "W-What do you mean?" I ask, confused. Somehow his serious expression scares me.

"Lucy, move on and be with me," he says. "I love-"

Ring.

Ah, it's the school bell. Lunch period is over. I quickly turn around, making a nervous laugh. "Time for class!" I exclaim. "Let's go so we won't be late!"

Before Sting tries to stop me, I quickly run up the stairs to class without him. What was he thinking? What was he saying? We have lived together for so long at the orphanage to the point that we were as close as siblings. Why is he saying such weird things?

 _Can't it be me?_

The way he says that makes him sound as if he had feelings for me. But that's impossible. He can't have feelings for me. He just can't. He's like a younger brother to me. We have lived like family all this time. He can't.

I enter the class and I see the class representatives at the front. Ah, it is October, that time of the year. It is the Cultural Festival season. I wonder what my class will do this year.

I go over to my seat, glancing at Natsu sitting behind me. We briefly make eye contact, but I quickly look away. I feel my face turn red as I remember that kiss he forced on me. Why did he do such a thing? I touch my lips. They are still warm from his touch.

"So in a month, it will be the Cultural Festival," the class representative, Gray Fullbuster, says. "Do you guys have any suggestions?"

Well, my homeroom always does something boring, like a study hall. We never do anything interesting.

"Let's do a play!" someone shouts. "Since we have Natsu Dragneel, I think a play would be the best!"

Huh? My eyes widen. A play?! A shiver goes down my spine. I have a bad feeling about this.

Everyone begins to shout in agreement. "It'd be a waste not to do it!" a classmate says.

"We also have an ex-actress too!" another says. "I read that Lucy's nickname was the Prodigy Actress!"

No. No. I don't want to do it. I can't act. I've been running for so long. If I act, all my efforts would be for nothing. I would… only come to love acting even more.

The female class representative, Juvia Lockser, runs up to my desk and slams her hands onto my table. "So will you do it?" she asks excitingly, a wide grin on her face. She looks over to Natsu too. "You too Natsu! Will you do it?"

Natsu scratches the back of his head. "Well, I don't mind," he says. "But I don't know about Lucy."

"What do you mean?" Juvia asks. "Is there something wrong?"

I look around the room. Everyone is staring at me with a confused look. They are expecting much out of me. How could I just back out? But what if I can't quit acting anymore? What if I do the play and fall in love with acting again?

Sting glances at me, worried. "You don't have to do this," he says.

"Please, Lucy!" Juvia exclaims. "No one here can play a female lead better than you!"

Ah, why is everyone staring at me like this? At this rate, I will have to succumb to peer pressure.

I gulp.

"O-Okay."

What did I just get myself into?

\- **End of Chapter 10 -**

Hey guys! Thank you so much for waiting for this chapter! I apologize that it is so short. I will try my best to make it up for the next chapter! Look forward to it~

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	11. Chapter 11: Natsu

**Natsu Dragneel**

Did Lucy just say... yes? My eyes widen. But she would feel so uncomfortable. She told me herself that she was afraid to come to love acting again. Was it peer pressure to do the play? Probably. I stand up from my seat, causing everyone to turn around to look at me.

"Lucy," I say, my voice shaking a little. "Are you sure about this?"

I can see her body tremble, but it is barely visible.

"Y-Yeah," she gives a shaky grin. "Don't worry. It's just a play!"

The female class representative Juvia grabs Lucy's hands and holds them tight. "Thank you so much Lucy!" she says. "You have no idea what this means to our whole class."

"Mhm," Lucy says.

I slowly sit back down on my seat. Why is she doing this to herself? Even if it's for the class, she should be more concerned about herself first. I feel a lump in my throat. Will she be okay with this? I reflect those memories of her past and since we are acting together, we will be spending time after school almost every day for practice.

"We need one more guy to act as the main antagonist," the male representative Gray Fullbuster says. "This character will be part of the love triangle."

Almost instantly, Sting Eucliffe raises his hand. "I'll do it."

"Thanks for volunteering!" Gray exclaims, writing Sting's name down.

Sting looks back and glares at me. This guy... is Lucy's boyfriend right? Well, of course, he would not allow Lucy to be alone with me. At first, I feel like punching him, beating him up for stealing Lucy away from me, but.. Lucy would not want that. I have to respect the fact that... we're over.

Ah... the weight on my chest hurts, but there is nothing there. Why am I like this?

Part of me doesn't want to give up on Lucy. She was my role model for my whole life. I started my acting career to be with her. She was my motivation to continue acting, even during the worst moments to keep persevering... just to see her again.

"The skit will be done by next week! For now, let's decide on costume designers and..." The class representatives continue to speak but I am too lost in thought.

I wonder how I will get over Lucy.

* * *

"Class dismissed!" the teacher says.

Instantly, my classmates gather around me, smiling. I watch Lucy leave with Sting. I guess they are walking home together. A couple thing in movies. My heart feels heavy. I can't help but feel jealous, even though I know I shouldn't be. I need to stop these feelings.

"I can't wait to see you act in person!" some say.

"Lucy's a good actress too, right? She'll definitely match you well!"

From a distance, I hear someone whisper, "Hey, to be honest, don't you think that they'll make a good couple?"

"W-What?!" I shout loudly, pointing at the two girls gossiping. "W-What do you mean by that?" Everyone stares at me, shocked at my sudden loudness.

"H-Huh?" the girl says.

"Crap, he heard us," the other girl says.

"A-Aren't Lucy and Sting dating?" I say without thinking. "You shouldn't say things like that about a girl who already has a boyfriend."

"Huh?" a classmate says. "They aren't."

Wait, what? What does he mean?

"Well, practically the whole class knows that Sting likes Lucy," a guy says. "The only person that doesn't know is Lucy. But to be honest, it is pretty much one-sided for Sting... Poor guy. Lucy only sees him as a brother since they're practically family."

My eyes widen. Those words are like music to my ears. Lucy isn't dating Sting? Doesn't that mean that I won't have to give up on her? My heart begins to beat loudly and fast.

"I-I have to go," I say. "See you guys!"

I run out of the classroom, speeding down the stairs. I almost trip a couple of times but I continue running. At the sidewalk near the entrance of the school are exactly the people I am looking for.

"LUCY!" I shout at the top of my lungs.

Lucy flinches. "Huh?" she says, flipping her head around towards me. Sting's eyes instantly squint at me, portraying his distaste towards me. But I don't give a crap.

"I won't give up on you," I shout. "You... You will be mine again someday."

Lucy's face immediately turns red as she quickly turns away and runs out of the school with Sting.

Just watch Lucy. You'll fall heads over heels for me just like you did seven years ago.

* * *

...Was what I said before I realized how hard this will actually be. She practically hates actors like me now. How will I make her fall for me again when I am the type she despises the most? Crap. Easier said than done.

"You look troubled," I hear someone say suddenly behind me.

I instantly snap out of it and turn around. It is Mirajane Strauss, one of my co-actresses.

"Mira," I say. "You finished your shoot so fast!"

Mira rolls her eyes. "It's been three hours, Natsu. You seem spaced out. What's wrong?"

Should I tell her? Then again, she is the best with love advice kind of things. Maybe it won't hurt to at least explain the situation.

"So um... let's say after seven years, you finally find your first love again, who was thought to have gone missing and also used to have mutual feelings for you," I say hesitantly.

"Mhm."

"And you find her after transferring to a school."

"Mhm."

"But you find that her feelings have completely changed and now she hates acting more than anything."

"Lucy?"

"Yeah."

Wait. Hold on.

"WHAT?" I shout loudly.

"Hm?" Mira looks at me with an _innocent_ smile.

"How in the world do you know?" I say, shocked. "I've never told anyone about Lucy before!"

Mira laughs. "Oh, come on," she says. "It's not like the whole world already knows because of the news."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Mira pulls her cell phone out of her pocket and clicks a few things. Then she throws it at me. I quickly scramble my hands to catch it and stare at the screen. It is on her celebrity news app. My eyes widen when I see the headlines.

 _ **Lucy Marvell Found.**_

No way.

I scroll down, reading the article word for word. It describes how I transferred into the high school and spotted Lucy, immediately recognizing her as Lucy Marvell. Luckily, it says nothing about my feelings for her, or else I could have created a scandal. All it says is that I was emotional and grateful to be again reunited. I take a deep breathe in relief.

But this article... I had forgotten how every little thing I did would be reported like this. I need to be more careful about my feelings toward Lucy, or else I could create a serious scandal that could lead to an even worse relationship with her. I can't imagine what it would be like if some paparazzi heard me proclaim my feelings so loudly earlier.

Ah. Suddenly, I don't feel relieved anymore. Now thanks to me, her identity was revealed. She could never again return to her normal life. Maybe she could all this time because age had changed her enough to mask her true face, but now we were teenagers. Our faces would not change much anymore. She would be in the public eye forever.

What have I done?

I've ruined Lucy.

"Well, I had no idea you actually liked her all this time," Mira says.

I instantly run to her and cover her mouth. "Idiot," I hiss. "What if some crazy paparazzi is listening? This is a secret between me and you, okay?"

"Sorry," she whispers.

"Mira... What do I do?" I ask. I sit on the ground and hug my knees tightly. "I'm such an ass," I cry. "I ruined her. All she wanted was to be normal, but now everyone is talking about her. Because of me. Because I was so careless. I never thought about what she wanted. I just wanted her to be mine again."

Mira kneels down next to me and pats my back. "Don't worry," she says, trying to calm me down. "Even if you didn't recognize her, someone would have eventually. She couldn't hide forever. You know that just as well as I do, don't you?"

I nod, but I am not sure if I can fully agree. I remember Lucy's words again. How she was afraid to come to love acting again. Doesn't that mean that somewhere in her heart, she still has a passion for it? But because of what happened to Wendy, she can't bring herself to. And I shouldn't force her.

So why did she say yes to the school play?

A part of me hopes that... perhaps somewhere in her heart, she wanted to act with me again.

 **\- End of Chapter 11 -**

Hey guys! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The next chapter will be in Lucy's point of view, so look forward to that~

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	12. Chapter 12: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

"I won't give up on you!" he shouts. "You… You will be mine again someday."

My eyes widen with shock as my body begins to shake. I can feel my heart beating dangerously faster and my face turns red. Idiot. How can he say these kind of things so easily?

I quickly turn away from embarrassment without a word and sprint. Sting runs after to me, following. I cover my red face with my hands. What was that even? Was I dreaming? I thought he gave up on me. What is this? I feel so hot. Am I developing a fever?

"Lucy, you can walk slower now," Sting says, panting to keep up. "He isn't even following us."

"O-Oh," I say. I gradually pace myself and look around. He is right. We are pretty much alone now. Here in the countryside, it isn't too populated, so it is easy to find places without people.

"What's with that Natsu guy?" Sting says with a distasteful look. "Isn't he a bit self-centered?"

"No!" I instantly shout. "Of course not! Do you have any idea how hard he worked to get here-" I clasp my mouth. Holy crap. Why was I defending him? I am not supposed to care. I don't care. I don't care. Then why am I doing this? I didn't even hesitate. What in the world is with me?

"Hey, Lucy," Sting says, grabbing my wrist. "Did you think about what I said earlier?"

Huh? What is he talking about?

 _Move on and be with me._

Ah! I had totally forgotten. The way it sounded… made him sound like he had feelings for me. But I shouldn't assume and misinterpret. He probably meant something else. After all, it's impossible for him to have feelings like that for me. We're practically family.

"Listen, Lucy," Sting says. "The truth is that I've always-"

"IT'S LUCY MARVELL!" a voice suddenly interrupts.

We both turn around to see a group of girls runs toward us. They look like middle schoolers. Ah, I've seen them around town before. In a small place like this, everyone looks familiar.

"Oh my gosh," a girl says when she approaches me. "Can we have a picture with you, please? You're so pretty and totally my idol!"

Huh? What is she talking about? Idol?

"I saw you on the news!" another girl says as if she read my mind. "I had no idea you were that child actress! How long have you been hiding your identity?"

They begin to bombard me with questions, but I can not hear any of them. All I can think about are those words: _I saw you on the news!_ The news? No way. Doesn't that mean… my identity is shattered? Everyone knows now.

Everyone knows that I was Lucy Marvell.

Everything seems like a blur. I take photos with them, just as I did when I was famous seven years ago, and memories fill me.

Back when the public asked to take pictures with me, Wendy was always there. We were always together, after all, so in a way, we came as a set. We were rarely seen without each other.

But now she isn't here anymore.

So what is the point? What is the point of this fame without her? I didn't ask for this. I just want to be ordinary. Get me out. Get me out, please.

I feel a pull on my arm. It is Sting.

"Come on," he says. "Let's just go home for today."

I slowly nod, allowing him to pull me forward.

I wonder how school will be like tomorrow.

* * *

It is after school now, so it is time to rehearse our lines. Everyone meets up at our homeroom and the class representatives pass out the first scene skit. As expected, Natsu and I have the most lines. I skim through the concept quickly to get an idea of how my character is like.

 **A Knight's Vengeance**

 **Lucy Heartfilia was seven years old when she lost her parents who were captured and executed during the war with their country's enemy kingdom. So she swore to complete one goal ever since that day. She would take revenge. She would kill the enemy kingdom's prince, the only heir to the throne, and ruin their kingdom. Yes, she would assassinate His Highness Prince Natsu Dragneel.**

Is this the summary? I am guessing that this is a medieval theme. I am guessing that they are preserving our names in the script. I skim through the first few scenes. It seems to be a story about me becoming an assassin to kill Natsu and then falling in love with him. It was odd, but interesting plot. ( **a/n: if you didn't notice, this is just my last completed fanfic.)**

They give us about fifteen minutes to look over the script. It is pretty easy. I naturally take in all the words and nod at Natsu on the other side of the room. We were ready.

"Already?" Juvia exclaims. "We aren't done yet, though!"

"We can rehearse the scene from chapter two when she finds me in my room while we wait for the rest," Natsu says.

"Wow," Gray says. "As expected from the professionals."

 _Professionals._ I feel happy from hearing that word, but I quickly shake my head. No, Lucy. You can't enjoy this. Acting is like toxic. You have no right.

…

That's right. I have no right to act without Wendy. So what am I doing? Why am I doing this? I can't help it, but to be honest, I feel so happy just by skimming a script. It feels like the old days again. Those old times when I would practice and memorize scenes with Wendy and Natsu.

The class clears the classroom by pushing the desks to the side as Natsu and I stand in the center. Natsu prepares for the scene by lying on the ground, pretending to be asleep. Gray hands me a fake knife. I gulp. I'm a little nervous. It has been a while since I did this.

"Are you ready?" Natsu mouths at me with an eye open.

I grin. "Yes."

"All right," Juvia shouts. "Action!"

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I am an assassin, told to murder His Highness Natsu Dragneel. Instantly, I jump into character.

I grasp onto the knife and walk toward Natsu's lying body. I hold the knife above him and breath shakily. Then I slam the knife down, using all of my strength to supposedly stab him when Natsu grabs my wrist.

"Hm?" Natsu says, rubbing his eyes and yawning from his deep sleep.

My heart begins to beat faster as the hand that he wraps around my wrist gets tighter. It feels so hot and I feel so much adrenaline running through me.

Then he opens his eyes fully. We make eye contact.

"Hm…" he says according to the script. He smirks. That was my cue to act irritated, so I glare at him.

 _Struggle and pretend to fight him. Natsu eventually pins you down and takes your knife away._

Natsu slaps the knife out of my hand and grabs my other arm, pulling me next to him on the ground. I feel a sharp impact on my arm as I slam onto the floor. It hurts, but I have to deal with it. He then grabs my hands and pins them up, then uses his legs to stop me from moving. He is using judo techniques, as expected from a professional actor.

I begin to struggle, but to be honest, I didn't even need to act. I was being led by Natsu.

"A girl, huh?" he says, grabbing my chin and gently pushing it up to look at my face. "Wonder why they sent a girl alone to kill me. You're obviously weaker than me."

My character is supposed to be annoyed whenever there was gender bias like this, so I begin to move, even more, fighting harder to loosen his grip on me, but he is too strong. He has me perfectly pinned to the ground, just like Prince Natsu Dragneel did in the script.

Natsu whistles. "Quite the hothead, aren't you?"

"I'm not weak!" I shout angrily. "Just to let you know, I have the title of the strongest knight in my kingdom."

"Interesting," Natsu says, caressing my cheek. My heart jumps. Idiot! Why am I blushing right now? I am supposed to be acting! I can not allow personal feelings to interject. That is unprofessional. But… his touch is so gentle and warm. It makes me want to cry.

"I like you," Natsu says.

Ah, crap. This is when I am supposed to sound shocked.

"Huh?" I say, pretending to be confused.

"I like you," he says again. "So I'm going to make you my bride."

"What the hell are you-"

"Marry me."

"CUT!" we hear our class representative say.

Immediately, Natsu gets off me and offers me a hand. The pressure he put on my body is gone and I feel all tingly for some reason. I take his hand and he pulls me up.

"Nice job," he says with a grin, giving me a thumbs-up. "Your skills haven't changed, still as amazing as ever."

"N-No way!" I say. "You're the one who was leading me. I didn't do anything."

"You two were both great!" a classmate exclaims. "Wow, this is my first time seeing both of you guys act live!"

"It felt so real!"

"And natural!"

"I felt so excited just from watching!"

"Amazing!"

Compliments begin to surround us. I keep smiling. I look over at Natsu and he smiles back, taking my hand and holding it as if I were so precious. It feels like old times. Back when Natsu and I acted together as children before any of that happened. Back when I was still innocent. Back before…

Wendy passed away.

Instantly, I let go of Natsu's hand and grasp onto my head, digging my nails into my blonde hair. I squat down on the floor, staring down at the ground. Natsu and my classmates begin to crowd around me in worry, but all of them look blurred to me. I can't concentrate.

What the hell am I doing?

I breathe heavily.

I am enjoying myself.

I am coming to love acting again.

Guilt begins to overwhelm me as I remember Wendy.

I can't do this without her.

I can't enjoy myself after what I did to her.

Immediately, I run out of the class circle and grab my backpack. Everyone stares at me, bewildered. And then I bolt out of that classroom as fast as I can. I need to run before I give into this temptation.

So why did I even say yes to doing this play even though I knew this would happen?

It would be inevitable for me to fall in love with acting again.

So why?

Tears begin to flood through my eyes.

Because I wanted to act with Natsu again.

 **\- End of Chapter 12 -**

 _PLEASE READ!_

Hey guys. I want to tell you guys that I really like writing, but many of you keep telling me that I am slow, or that I take forever. Some are also a bit rude about it in my opinion. I do remember mentioning that I had no guarantee when would I upload the next chapters, but I would never stop my story suddenly. I want to remind some of you again that this is because I am in an important year of school that will determine the college I go to. That is why I must put school as my priority. I take many APs and honors classes, so I have been very stressed and I really hope you all can understand my situation. I also have my internship and concerts to perform in as well. Please note that this story is not my priority. Life is. And I hope that those of you who tell me this also are aware that I have my own life outside of this story as well.

Thanks! I love you all so much! Thank you for taking your time to read my story and this note!

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	13. Chapter 13: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

I run away. I run away from that classroom. I run away from Natsu. I run away from acting.

I'm scared.

I'm afraid of my own love for acting.

I turn the corner to the stairs when suddenly a hand wraps around my wrist. I instinctively turn my head, making eye contact with jet black eyes. It is Natsu. Why does he always follow me like this? It is making it hard for me. It is making it hard for me to focus. Hard to ignore. Hard to forget. Hard to move on. Hard to stop being in love.

"Lucy," Natsu says.

I don't say anything. I just try to rip his grip off my wrist, but he is too strong.

"Lucy, please," he says.

"Let go of me," I say, trying not to break into tears.

"I know you are scared," he says. "But I can't let you go like this."

I use my other hand, trying to force his hand off. Why is his grip so tight? Naturally, tears begin to fall down my face. "Let go," I say. "Let go. Let go. Let go!"

"STOP!" Natsu shouts, his face full of anger and frustration. Instantly, I freeze and stare into those frightening eyes. My breath seems to stop as he gazes at me. What is he going to do? I just want to be left alone. I can't deal with this pressure anymore.

"I thought you loved acting," he said in a desperate voice. "Are you really willing to throw away everything like this? Throw away everything just because you are so afraid of what will happen? You're just afraid of people's eyes. You're afraid how they will judge you for being a coward for running away and hiding from the public eye after the incident. You're afraid of Wendy. You're afraid of acting without her. That's what you are-"

"SHUT UP!" I shout. I know he is right. He got me right on the spot. But I don't want to admit it. I don't want to admit that I am only a coward. "That's not true! Leave me the hell alone! You don't understand anyth-"

Suddenly, he slams his lips onto mine, pushing me against the wall. His kiss feels forceful, desperate. I can feel his heavy body on mine, not allowing me to escape. He wraps his arm around my waist, the other hand gently holding my head in place as his warm lips press onto mine. My heart feels as though it were fighting a war, making my chest hurt. I try to push him away, but I can't move. I can't push him away. Instead I grasp onto his shirt and can't help but move my lips, kissing him. It just feels so right. As if he were made just for me.

Slowly, he lifts his lips off mine, still keeping me against the wall. "I'm sorry," he says. I notice that tears are falling down his eyes. "I went too far."

"Natsu…"

"To be honest, I miss Wendy too," he says. "I want to see her again, just like you. I have regrets. I wish I rejected her more kindly instead of being so harsh. I wish I noticed her feelings earlier as well so our friendship wouldn't have ended so horribly. I wish I did so much more for her before she lost her life."

I take a small step toward him, gradually putting my arms around him to pull him into an embrace. He bends forward, hugging me tightly, as if he were afraid I would run away again. I can feel his warm tears soaking into my sweater. I comb his hair, hoping to comfort him.

"You aren't the only one, Natsu," I say. "I too wish I could've done so much more."

"I know," he says. "I know you don't want to come back to acting because you feel like you would be betraying Wendy."

He is right. Wendy and I had promised to always be together, always be on the same dramas, TV shows, movies… everything. We did everything together. And now that she wasn't here, I couldn't do anything anymore… because I didn't want to do anything without her.

"But I'm selfish," he says. "I wanted you to come back all these years. I thought that if I continued my acting career, I would see you again. Maybe at a set, a photoshoot… anything. I was so desperate to find you. But no matter how long I acted, modeled, anything… I couldn't find you."

"Were…" I loosen the hug to look up at him. "Were you really that worried for me?"

"Honestly, I just selfishly wanted you to act again," he says. "I wanted an excuse to see you, be with you. But I just thought for myself. I didn't think about what you wanted. And now I don't care whether you decide to act or not anymore. I just want to be with you. But I don't know how to make any excuses to see you anymore without you going into acting."

"You idiot," I say, holding him tight again.

"I'm sorry," he says, crying again.

"Stop crying, idiot," I say. "You're so dumb." I comb his hair again gently. "You don't need an excuse to see me. You don't need anything. You know where I am now. So if you want to see me, visit me. If you miss me, call me. Don't be like this."

"I love you."

My heart jumps at the sudden three words.

"I love you, Lucy."

I feel a lump in my throat. Memories of Wendy again fill my mind, but suddenly her last words rush into my mind:

 _ **Think about yourself for once.**_

"Are you afraid?" Natsu asks, letting go of me.

"W-What do you mean?" I reply.

"Are you afraid of Wendy's feelings?"

Ah, he knew me too well. I slowly nod and scratch my arm, a bit nervous.

"It's fine if you can't return my feelings," he says. "I understand-"

"No!" I suddenly shout without thinking. I quickly cover my mouth in embarrassment. I begin to mess with my hair, a bit anxious. I think about Wendy's feelings. I remember her words, telling me that to her, I was more important than Natsu. She cared for my happiness. "I-It's not like I can't return your feelings."

"Then, will you go out with me?" he says.

"W-What are you saying?" I say, stuttering. "You-"

"Wow, who's the idiot here?" Natsu says with a playful tone. "I'm asking you to be my girlfriend, i-d-i-o-t."

"I-I know!" I say, biting my lip. "You just took me by surprise!"

He puts his forehead against mine, smiling. "So is that a yes or no?"

"W-Well, obviously it's a yes-"

And in that instant, Natsu put his lips over mine.

And for the first time, I felt free from my past. I felt as though I could finally begin to start living in the future instead of dwelling about Wendy.

Wendy, I will never forget you, but I will try to move on. Without being bound to the past, I will continue my passion, no matter how afraid I am of the public eye.

I want to pursue an acting career again… with Natsu.

"Hey," Natsu says. "Tell me those three words."

"What three words?" I ask.

"Tell me you love me," he says as if it were obvious. "Duh."

I roll my eyes, but inside I can feel my heart jumping. Is he an idiot? How can I say those words so easily? Regardless, I try with all my strength to say it. "I… I… I lo…" Natsu looks at me with expectation. I gulp. This is too hard.

"You're an idiot," I say instead.

"Hey!" he says, pinching my cheek.

"Ow! Ow!" I say. "I said three words!"

"The wrong three words," he says with a pout.

"Too bad," I say, sticking out my tongue.

Natsu bites his lip. "Dammit," he says, letting go of my cheek. He takes a step back, crossing his arms.

"What?" I ask, confused at his sudden frustration.

"You're too cute for me to get mad at."

Ah… it feels like the old days again.

 **\- End of Chapter 13 -**

It's finally close to Thanksgiving Break, so hopefully I can upload more often! Thank you so much for reading this chapter guys! Please look forward to the next one.

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	14. Chapter 14: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

It has been three weeks since Natsu and I have began dating. We still kept it a secret to the public eye because of Natsu's fame, but we decided that once I went back to the acting industry, we would announce our relationship to the press.

Well, not that the whole school already assumes that we are already dating.

Okay, maybe everyone does kind of get the idea that we're a _thing_.

But it is not public, so I guess it is fine.

Right now, I am in a dressing room, preparing to perform for the Cultural Festival. We are performing A Knight's Vengeance and I am a bit nervous. I haven't performed in so long. I hope I am still in shape.

"We're done!" Juvia, my designer, says. "Whew, I think everything is perfect!"

Juvia walks me to a mirror and I look at myself in awe. Just like the character in the book, I have assassin-like clothing and a knife hidden on my waist. And my makeup was flawless.

"Wow, Juvia!" I exclaim. "You're as good as the professionals."

"Oh, stop it," Juvia says bashfully. "Now go meet your _Prince Charming_." She pushes me, giving me a wink.

"W-We aren't a thing," I say nervously. "Don't get the wrong idea!"

"Mhm, sure," Juvia says, obviously not convinced as she walks off.

I step out of the changing room to find Natsu standing right outside the door, waiting. My eyes widen when I see him, all dressed up. He is wearing brown khakis and a red cape around his shoulders. On his head is a gold crown. How can he look so nice in this kind of outfit?

We make eye contact and he grins. He runs up to me and grabs my shoulders. "Lucy!" he exclaims. "Wow, you look great!"

"Better than you," I joke, which is a total lie. He looks dazzling compared to me. I guess that is a professional actor compared to an ordinary person like me. I can't believe that this person is my… boyfriend.

Natsu laughs, putting his arm around me. "You're just shy to admit that I'm the hottest thing that you have ever seen, aren't you?"

I feel my face turn red instantly, so immediately, I throw his arm off, too embarrassed. "I-Idiot!" I shout. "That's not how I feel at all, got it!"

Natsu pinches my cheek and pulls it.

"Ow! Ow!" I yelp. "Let go!"

"Liar," he says with his goofy smile. He lets go of my face and takes my hand. We walk onto the stage, where the curtains are still covering us from the loud audience. I take a quick peek in between the crack of the curtains. My eyes widen in shock. Holy crap! There are news stations here just to record Natsu's first school performance! I knew he was famous, but I didn't think that these people would actually come all the way to the countryside for this.

"I can't wait to perform with you again," Natsu says, holding my hand tight. I can feel his nervousness pulsing through his hand. I am shaking too, but in excitement. I bite my lip to keep myself from shouting in happiness. Just the sound of the crowds is making my heart beat.

"You excited?" Natsu asks, looking at me.

"N-Not really!" I say quickly. "More like you should calm down. I can feel you shaking from here!"

"You're shaking too," he laughs. "I'm not the only one excited for this."

I pout. "You caught me."

"EVERYONE!" we hear our class representative shout. Instantly, we let go of each other's hands and look toward the voice.

"We'll be beginning the play in three minutes, so get into position!" Juvia shouts.

Natsu quickly nods at me and runs to backstage. I stand in the middle of the stage, where my first scene will take place. I hope this will go well.

 **[a/n: If you want to see the whole play, just read my story** **A Knight's Vengeance** **and you'll see!]**

I watch the curtains slowly unfold before me, revealing the large crowds. I feel my heart stop for a second, but before I knew it, lines simply came out of my mouth, as if it were just instinct for me. Acting out so many emotions just came to me without thinking. And it was fun. How could I have ever suppress this fun? I feel like I lost so much of myself without acting, and here I am again, full.

About two hours pass, and it is finally the last scene, when the reborn Knight Lucy Heartfilia in modern times finally gets her memory of Prince Natsu back. This is my favorite scene that Natsu and I practiced so many times.

" _I… I'm a reincarnation?_ " I say, looking at a phone. I look up and breathe heavily, holding my head with my hands, screaming. I can feel the emotions of my character so clearly, that I begin to cry.

" _Natsu…"_ I mutter. Quickly, I get off the fake hospital bed and run off stage.

Natsu, quickly faking tears, walks back onto stage with a haggard look of sadness, acting just like his character. He is really a professional. Once he stands in the middle of the stage, he looks up at the ceiling and brings his arm up, as if he were trying to catch something.

" _Goodbye,_ " he says. " _Lucy._ "

Quickly, I begin to run toward him and scream " _Natsu!"_

He quickly turns around and I bring him into a tight hug.

" _Lucy?!_ " he shouts. " _What are you doing here?_ "

" _Natsu… I remember!_ " I say.

" _W-What?_ " he says.

" _I'm sorry for the wait,_ " I say, gently putting my hand against his cheek and wiping his tears. " _Prince Natsu Dragneel._ "

Natsu cries loudly, bringing me to a tight hug. His hug feel so real that I almost forget that we are acting.

" _I love you,_ " he says. " _I love you. I love you._ "

" _I know,_ " I say, hugging him tighter.

" _Don't… Don't lose your memories ever again,"_ he cries.

" _I know,"_ I say.

" _Tell me you love me,_ " he says desperately. For some reason, I sense a hint of realism in his words because I have never actually told him that I loved him other than when acting for this play. But those three words are just so difficult to say for some reason when I am not acting. Of course I do love him. Those words are just… I feel like something is in my throat whenever I try to say them.

" _I love you,_ " I say.

Natsu breathes heavily. " _I waited centuries to hear that again,"_ he says. " _You owe me."_

I mentally take a deep breathe. This is the big scene in this play. I loosen our hug and wrap my arms around his neck, closing my eyes and going on my toes. I bend his back toward me and kiss him on the lips. A warm feeling spreads through me. I don't need to act to show this part at all. I can hear the crowds shout in happiness.

I then put my heels back onto the ground. " _Are we even now?"_ I say mischievously.

Natsu, with a red face, bites his lip. " _No_ ," he whines. " _Do it again._ "

" _Pervert_ ," I pout.

" **Only towards you** ," Natsu says, bringing his lips toward me again, and we kiss again.

Huh? Was that just me, or was he not acting when saying that? I don't know why, but it is a gut feeling.

The curtains close as the crowds applaud us. Natsu lets go of me and high-fives. "We did it!" he shouts.

I cry in happiness. "Yes!" I shout. "We did it!"

Everyone runs toward the stage to bow once the curtains reopen and it is finally a day. What an experience. I can't believe that this performance is actually going on television after this, though. Maybe with all of this, I can begin acting again and become professional, thanks to how public this play will become. I can publicly tell everyone that Natsu is my boyfriend, and we will be accepted.

But something feels so odd.

I feel so happy right now.

Why do I have a feeling that this happy feeling will end soon?

* * *

It is time to go home. Natsu can not walk me of course because our relationship is still secret (even though it was pretty dead obvious to the whole school), so I walk with Sting back to the orphanage.

I look over at Sting. Lately, we have been a bit awkward. He doesn't talk much to me and we just walk back in silence all the time, which is very unusual for us. We are usually fighting or messing around.

"Hey… Lucy?" he suddenly says.

"What is it?" I say.

"Have you ever felt useless?"

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He shrugs, staring up at the sky. "I don't know," he replies. "Just felt like asking."

Huh? What is he saying? I don't understand. I would ask him to give me more details about his question, but I am too afraid of his current expression. It doesn't look like him. He is usually full of smiles, even when he was upset. He would always smile to make everyone think his troubles aren't a big deal. But now he is just… not even frowning. He looks emotionless.

"You can tell me anything right?" he asks.

"Of course," I reply. "You're my family."

Oddly, Sting cringes at the sound of _family_. Does he hate being my family that much…? He was the one who told me that he would be like my younger brother (even though he is only a week younger) so I would feel at home. Perhaps he had wanted to play Wendy's part in my life, but why was he acting like this now?

"Are you… dating Natsu?" he suddenly asks.

"H-Huh?"

"Are you?" he says. "Don't lie."

"Y-Yeah," I say, scratching the back of my head. "G-Geez, Sting. You scared me. I thought you were going to ask something actually serious."

"It's serious to me," he mutters quietly.

"What did you say?" I say, unsure if that was really what he said.

"N-Nothing!" he quickly shouts. "I'm happy for you… Lucy." He grins at me with his normal smile that I have not seen since we have become this awkward.

I frown. He seems to be acting strange. What was with him? But I quickly shake it off. Why would he be upset? I didn't do anything and nothing really happened between us. He was probably just asking as the protective brother he is. Anyway, I should be relieved that he is finally smiling again!

We continue to walk back home in silence. I hope that someday Sting will open up to me again, because I can't stand being this far from Sting.

He is important family to me.

* * *

I am in bed, when suddenly I hear someone moving around in the living room area of the orphanage at three a.m. What is that sound? I yawn. At this time of the night? It is probably one of the kids using the bathroom, but part of me gets paranoid that it is a intruder, so I quickly put on my slippers and open my door slightly to take a peek.

Ah! It is Sting.

Huh?

But why is he fully dressed in his coat, scarf, and everything?

Where is he going?

I watch him go toward the door to outside and put on his shoes. My instincts for some reason tell me to follow him, so I quickly and quietly grab my coat and put it over my pajamas. I notice that he left his keys, student id, and wallet on the dinner table. Where is he going without his stuff? Once he goes out the door, I run out of my room and put on shoes as fast as I can. Then I grab my keys and open the door, following him.

I watch him walk and follow. It is so cold. The wind pierces through my coat. I wish I changed to warmer clothes, but if I did, I would lose track of Sting. Why am I following him anyway? I am invading his privacy.

After about twenty minutes of walking, we are now on a bridge. Ah, this is one of our town's only attractions. It is a really high bridge above a river. But why would he be here? Was he secretly meeting up with someone? Oh! Maybe a secret relationship that he is hiding? I grin. I'm going to catch you now Sting!

Sting suddenly stops walking and turns toward the railing. He puts his hands on the metal, gripping it tightly. I see water dripping from his face. Is he… crying? It is hard to see in the dark.

Suddenly, I see him push himself up onto the railing.

Holy crap.

No.

Oh my god.

No.

He is standing on the railing.

Is he trying to commit suicide?!

"STING!" I scream, running toward him.

He turns toward me in shock, eyes widened, and puts his hand up. "STOP!" he screams. "DON'T GET NEAR ME!" He is shaking. I can see his shoulders rise up and down as he breathes in and out quickly.

"Sting-"

"IF YOU GET ANY CLOSER, I'LL JUMP!"

I immediately stop running and stay on my spot. What is he saying?! This bridge is so high from the river! And the river isn't even that deep, so if he jumps off, he'll die from the impact! Why is he doing this? What is he doing? I thought he was fine! He was always smiling and playing it cool. But what is this?!

"W-Why are you doing this?" I ask, trying to be careful with my words. I need to save him. I breathe heavily, trying to calm myself down, but I can't help but have tears drip down my face.

"I can't do this anymore," he says. "It's all that bastard Natsu's fault. He ruined everything!"

"W-What are you saying, Sting?" I say. "Please, you-"

"I thought with time you would turn to me," he says. "I thought with time you would see me as a man, not a little brother." Tears run down his face. "But I was a fool! I was a goddamn fool for being the only one in love!"

"Sting…" I say, taking a step closer."

"DON'T GET ANY CLOSER!" he instantly screams, taking a step toward the edge of the railing. My heart beats faster and faster as I try my best to freeze. What do I do? Holy crap. I can't let him do this to himself!

"My life has no meaning without you," he says. "What's the point of living? What's the point of trying to beat Natsu? He is so much better than me in everything! Academics, arts, looks, EVERYTHING. I'm horrible. I'm stupid. I can't get you to look at me. At the end, I was just family to you. I was just that stupid little brother!"

"Sting-"

"I just want to die," he says, tears running through his face. "I'm tired of playing this game called life. I'm tired of being stupid, horrible at everything. I just want-"

"Sting, there's so much to life besides this," I say, trying to convince him. "You can't just bring everything to an end like this!"

"You don't understand," he says. "Someone who excels at everything would never understand! I'm stupid. I never understand anything in class. I'm not good at any arts like you. I'm not good at studying like you either! I can't do anything! I have no talents! I don't even remember my parents because they abandoned me!"

My throat feels like there is a lump inside, making me speechless. I just keep crying in sadness and frustration. I need to get Sting down, but how?

"Ah, that's right," Sting says. "Your parents abandoned you too, didn't they?" He makes a forced chuckle. "At least we're similar in that aspect." He cracks his head and gives me that grin again. Why is he smiling? This is a serious situation.

"I'm sick of living, Lucy," he says with a shaky voice. "I'm tired. I can't do this anymore. You were the only person that finally gave me meaning in my life after I lived in that orphanage for so long alone. But now, even you're going to be taken away from me! It just feels so meaningless to continue this life. I…" Sting looks at me, biting his lip and shivering. "I just want to put an end to everything-"

"STOP!" I shout. "Sting, stop!" I bite my lip, trying to stop crying, but regardless, tears keep flowing. I couldn't lose someone dear to me anymore. Not after Wendy.

"I'll look at you," I say, taking a small step forward. "I'll love you with everything." I try taking a bigger step. "So don't do this, okay?" I step all the way toward him and extend my hand to him. "To me, you're the best. It doesn't matter how great Natsu is. You're my number one… I didn't notice you all this time… I'm so sorry. I'll break up with Natsu and only look at you. I won't act either. I'll give all my love to you and only see you. So don't do this, okay?"

I hiccup, unable to stop. "So… please live, okay? I treasure you too much to see you go."

"What are you saying?" he says, legs shaking. He takes a step back. "Don't try to trick me with your words."

"I'm not!" I scream in desperation. I look into his eyes and remember a certain statement Wendy had told me seven years ago.

 _Wendy was about to die, holding onto my hand tight before she would fall to her oblivion, many feet above the ground. She looked at me with a helpless look on her face. Tears were flowing down her face nonstop._

" _ **Even though Natsu is important to me, you are even more**_ **.** "

I take a deep breath and stare straight into Sting's eyes.

"Even though Natsu is important to me," I recite. "You are even more."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Sting says, taking a step away from the edge. I can feel myself slowly getting relieved. Only a little bit more.

"I want to be with you," I say, breathing heavily. "Because to me, you're beyond the importance of Natsu. I need you. You can't…" I bite my lip, trying to stop myself from shaking. "You can't die on me. I need you. I really need you, you idiot! So come down! Stay… Stay with me."

Slowly, Sting takes my hand and steps off the railing, back onto the ground. He seems to lose all strength, crouching onto the ground with my hand in his. I sit next to him on the ground and put my arm around him, putting my head on his shoulder.

"Don't ever leave me," Sting says, crying.

"I won't," I say.

"I love you," he says.

"Me too…"

I look up at the sky, seeing the billions of stars. Tears roll down my face.

Natsu.

Natsu.

Natsu.

I bite my lip.

I love you, Natsu.

But to me, Sting's life is more important. I can't lose my family ever again, even if it means losing my happiness and my passion. And… I know Natsu is stronger. He is stronger than Sting, so it is Sting that needs me more.

As expected, my happiness with Natsu would never last forever…

That happiness was wonderful while it lasted.

I must forget about Natsu now and move on to Sting.

I grip Sting's hand tightly.

 _Goodbye, Natsu._

 _ **I love you.**_

 **\- End of Chapter 14 -**

Hey guys! Sorry that I haven't updated for a while! It is finally finals week, which means it's almost winter break, which also means more updates! Please look forward to that~  
~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	15. Chapter 15: Natsu

**Natsu Dragneel**

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Hm..?" I mumble, trying to stop my annoying alarm. I roll around bed for a couple of seconds before sitting up and grabbing my phone. Turning off my phone's alarm, I look at the time. It is six a.m. Time for school.

I grin.

Going to school is one of the only ways for me to see Lucy due to our situation, so I don't really mind waking up this early just to see her.

I quickly do my daily morning routines and get out the door. My chauffeur stands outside, waiting for me already next to the black van. I keep telling my manager that I can walk to school on my own (it's only a ten minute walk), but he insists that it is unsafe and I need a ride.

After less than four minutes of riding in the car, I finally arrive to school. After being "helped" out the van, I instantly look around for Lucy. I grin when I see the back of her blond head. Walking so fast that I almost look like I am running, I grab her shoulders from behind.

"Ah!" she exclaims in shock.

"Surprise!" I say, grinning.

She turns around, smiling at the sound of my voice, but for some reason, she suddenly changes her expression to a frowning face.

"Good morning," she simply says in a monotone voice before turning away.

I raise an eyebrow. That was weird.

I run up to her to quickly catch up, standing in front of her so she is forced to stop walking. "Are you playing hard to get?" I ask with a wink. I take her hand and pull her towards me. "Come on, let's walk to class together-"

She flicks her hand, harshly ripping it off my grasp. My eyes widen in surprise.

"Don't touch me," she says, glaring at me with the harshest eyes I have ever seen from her.

I feel myself shake. I know for sure that she is not just playing hard to get. Then what is going on? She was fine yesterday. Why is she suddenly acting so odd? This isn't her. This just can't be. There's something wrong. Something happened.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I say, gently holding her shoulders. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened," she says, still refusing to make eye contact with me. She uses her hand to take my hands off her shoulders. "And I told you not to touch me."

I grab her shoulder again, a little more tightly in desperation. "Hey, Lucy-"

"Don't touch her," I suddenly hear someone say from a distance. I look up to see Sting Eucliffe, walking toward us. He stands next to Lucy and grabs my wrist, throwing it off Lucy's shoulder. His grip was actually strong. My wrist stings a little bit from the pressure. Sting takes her hand and holds it tightly. "She's mine."

"W-Wait," I say, confused. "What are you saying? Lucy-"

He walks closer to me, so close that his mouth is only inches away from my ear.

"I told you," he whispers in a harsh voice. "She's mine."

Then he walks off with Lucy, hand in hand. I just stare at them in confusion. What is going on? Why is Lucy holding hands with Sting..? Why is she his? She told me that she loved me. She told me that she was mine and I was hers. So why is she like this?

That hand is mine.

I run over to them, grabbing Lucy's hand out of Sting's grasp. "What are you doing?" I ask harshly. "Why are you being like this? Did I do something wrong? I'll change for you. I'll do anything. Just don't be like this."

"Stop this," Lucy replies, breaking her hand off mine. "We don't have any relationship."

"What the hell are you saying?" Sting says, taking Lucy's hand again. "Come on, Lucy. Let's go." And with that, they walk off together, leaving me alone.

What is going on?

I go inside school and go to my shoe locker, changing into my slippers. I keep thinking about what just happened. Just yesterday, we were together and she seemed to be so happy with me. What happened to us? What did I do wrong?

I check my watch. Ah! Class starts in two minutes! I must have spent way too long thinking about Lucy. I run down the halls, almost tripping on the slippery tiles. I can't be late, or else my manager would kill me for making a bad image.  
I rush into class, just in time, and sit down at my seat behind Lucy. She doesn't even turn to look at me. I bit my lip. I can't allow everything between us end like this without explanation. She needs to explain herself. She has to tell me why. Why she won't talk to me. Why she suddenly changed her attitude. Why she suddenly acts with such resentment towards me.

Maybe I should talk this out with her during lunch break.

I sit through class. I can't pay attention to anything right now. How will I even approach her when she keeps running away?

"Class dismissed," the teacher says. "Lunch Break."

Immediately, I sit up and grab Lucy's shoulder, but she casually brushes my hand off, walking over to Sting's side. I feel a lump in my throat. I want to scream from frustration. How could she just change overnight? Unless… something happened.

Yes, something must have happened to her. There is no such thing as a person who changes overnight for no reason. And I have to get it out of her. I begin to follow Lucy but my fans block me, attempting to create a conversation with me. I would usually enjoy interacting with fans, but not today. I have to get out of this crowd of girls!

I watch Lucy leave the classroom. "Ah! My stomach hurts!" I exclaim, pretending to be in pain by grasping my stomach.

"Ah! Natsu are you alright?" a girl exclaims.

"I just need to use the restroom," I reply weakly.

Instantly, the girls pave way so I can run out of the classroom. I grin once I leave the room. Thank goodness that I am an actor. Now I have to look for Lucy. I look to my right and see Lucy coming out of the girls' restroom. There is no one else around, so we'll be alone. I walk up to her and grab her wrist tightly. Immediately, she turns around and gasps, making eye contact with me.

"Lucy, we need to talk," I say.

She turns away from me. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Lucy!" I shout loudly.

"What?" she yells in annoyance. "Leave me alone!" she screams, throwing my hand off her wrist as she walks away.

I run up to her and slap my hand on the wall, blocking her way. She turns to walk the other way, but I slam my other hand to block her on both directions, forcing her to face me. I feel a tense moment as she glares at me with those eyes that I was once familiar with. Somehow, all of this seems like a lie.

"Finally, I have you," I say with a sigh. "Lucy, just tell me what happened. What happened yesterday that is making you like this?"

"We aren't in the relationship where we can talk about things like this together," she replies, looking down to the ground.

I grab her chin and move her face up. "Look at me!" I shout loudly. Her eyes widen from my sudden burst of anger. "Please. Can you just explain yourself at least?" I plead in desperation. I feel like breaking down, watching Lucy do this to me. I can't believe that this is reality. It hurts. It hurts so much. My back seems to collapse as I bend down towards her and place my head on her shoulder to hide my tears.

"Please," I say, taking deep breaths to stop my shaky voice. "I just need to know why. I need to know how. Or else it would be that time all over again, that time when you disappeared on me for no reason. So give me a reason this time," I desperately cry. "Give me a reason or else I won't be able to move on."

Lucy stays silent for the longest time. I keep my head down until I can calm down and then bring myself back into eye contact with her. She stares back at me without a word.

"It… It's just," she says, trying to find an explanation. "It's hard to explain."

"Then lie," I reply. "I'll believe anything you say. I'll believe anything! Just give me a reason, because right now I feel like I can't live without you."

"Live… without me…?" Lucy mutters to herself quietly. She bites her lip, as if she is trying not to cry. She takes a few breaths slowly.

"You can."

"Huh?" I say, confused.

"You can live without me," she says, putting her hand on my cheek. A tear rolls down her cheek as she softly smiles at me. Her eyes are kind this time, just like the ones I was accustomed to before all this began. "Right now, there is someone who needs me, so I can't be with you. This person needs me more than you do right now."

"Who would need you more than me?" I scream like a child. "I can't live without you, Lucy. I felt like dying all these years when I couldn't see you. And now you're leaving me to feel the same lifelessness again?"

Lucy stares at the ground again, removing her hand from my cheek gently. I can see her body trembling as she grasps onto her arm. I can tell by her body movements that she doesn't want this either.

"Is this person… more important than me?" I ask.

She looks at me and nods. "I'm sorry."

"Do you…" I look at her into the eye. "Do you still love me?"

She opens her mouth to answer, but she seems to be hesitating, unable to say a word. Instead, she just softly smiles at me and touches my arm, pushing it away from the wall so she can pass. And then she walks away.

I lunge forward to block her way again, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to do it. I can feel myself tearing up as her figure gets farther from me. I bite my lip. I can't go to class with a crying red face, or else it may even go on the news. Sometimes I hate how everything I do gets on the news like that.

I lean on the wall and slide down onto the ground, crouching onto the floor. Tears begin to pour out of my eyes. Crap. Why am I crying? I need to stop.

 _Do you still love me?_

Because I still do.

* * *

Hey guys! Sorry for the slow updates. I couldn't use the computer this break because of personal issues, so I hope you guys can all understand. I'll try to update the next chapter soon!

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	16. Chapter 16: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

I want to cry.

I miss him.

I miss him so much and it hasn't even been a day.

Why is this so hard?

I walk to the classroom where Sting is waiting for me. He grins and waves, motioning his hand toward a seat. I sit on the chair next to him and we begin to eat lunch together.

Natsu hasn't come to class yet.

I wonder how he is doing.

No, I shouldn't think about him! I already decided. I must put family before Natsu. I can't be with him… I wonder if this is what people mean when they say that two people could be in love, but they could never be together. I never really understood that, but now I can. That has been me and Natsu all this time. We can't be together, no matter how much we love each other.

Well… I know Natsu is strong. He can get over me. He can hold on.

But can I do that?

"Lucy?" Sting suddenly says, waving his hand in front of me several times.

I shake my head a few times and slap my cheeks. "Y-Yeah?" I say. "What's up, Sting?"

He frowns. "I said your name at least ten times, Lucy," he says. "You seem out of it. Are you okay?"

"H-Huh?" I say. "Me? Of course!" I wave my hand up and down, forcing a laugh. "I'm just really hungry!" I exclaim as I wolf my food down my throat. "Don't worry!"

I need to stop thinking about Natsu. Focus on Sting, Lucy. Focus on Sting. He is the one who is the most important to you. Family is more important. Family is more important.

"Lucy..?" Sting asks.

"Hm?" I say with a grin.

"Why are you crying?"

Huh? What?

"You're crying, Lucy."

I touch my cheek to feel something wet and warm dripping from my eyes. What is this? Why am I crying? No. I have to stop. I can't cry in public like this. I can't show a face full of tears to Sting or Natsu. I need to be okay. I need to at least look like I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm… fine.

"Here," Sting says, handing me a tissue.

"T-Thanks," I say, taking the tissue and dabbing my eyes. "Sorry, these allergies are horrible."

"Don't worry about it," Sting replies with a soft smile.

Ah… When I see that smile, I feel like all this hurt and lost is worth it. Just seeing that he is still alive, talking to me like this, makes me feel no regret for what I did. It was worth it to save his life… yet why am I still crying like this? I need to calm down.

I take a few deep breaths and immediately stop crying. I try to pretend that I am an actress on set. I need to put away my personal feelings and do my job: protecting Sting, my family.

* * *

Half an hour has passed. Natsu still hasn't come to the classroom to eat lunch at all. What is he doing? I check my phone. There are two minutes until class starts. I stand back up to put Sting and my box lunch away. I then go back to my original seat in front of Natsu's empty one. Where is he? There is less than a minute to get to class. Even the teacher is already here.

 _Ring. Ring._

"Alright, class," the teacher says, clapping her hands. "We will start class." She looks up to scan the room for attendance. "Hm…" she says. "Does anyone know where Natsu is?"

Right at the moment, I hear a crash at the door. The door is thrown open, revealing Natsu. He is running, rushing to his seat. He quickly takes his seat. I can hear him panting hard. What was he doing to be this late? Did he lose track of time?

"You're late, Natsu," the teacher says, disappointed.

"S-Sorry," he says, standing back up to bow his head. "I lose track of time."

"It's fine," the teacher says with a sigh. "You only came a few seconds late. I'll mark you present. Don't worry."

Natsu sighs in relief as he sits back down.

I smile a bit. He seems to be okay. It seems as if we never had that conversation. Well, he is an actor. He can hide his feelings just as well as I can, probably even better.

Class goes on for about an hour. The whole time, I endlessly keep thinking about Natsu. I can't even focus on class. I take a peek behind me to see how he is doing. Ah… He is taking notes on the lecture like usual. He looks so… okay. Fine. Does he even care? Is he even trying to act? I can't even take notes. I can't focus at all. What is the teacher saying? All of it sounds like gibberish. I bite my lip. I can't take this anymore-

Suddenly, I hear a sniff behind me, but then it is quickly covered by a cough. The teacher looks toward my direction from the sudden noise. I watch her eyes widen.

"Oh my," she says. "Natsu, are you alright?"

Immediately, everyone turns around to look at Natsu.

My eyes widen in shock.

Am I hallucinating?

Droplets of water are gradually falling from Natsu's eyes, splattering on his neat notes from earlier, messing up the ink. The water is dripping, faster and faster. Are those… tears?

We make eye contact and I notice that his eyes begin to flood more salty tears just at the sight of me. Immediately, he looks down, trying not to look at me.

Instantly, everyone takes their phones out, trying to record what is going on. A celebrity actor crying in class was big news after all. Famous people like him could never live without having every little detail reported.

"A-Ah," he says, trying his best to cover his face from the cameras. "Ms. Alberona, please excuse me." And with that, he quickly gets up from his seat and runs out of class.

What was that?

 _I know Natsu is strong. He can get over me. He can hold on._

Was I wrong to think that way?

Tears begin to flood my eyes, but I do my best to suck it in.

Ah… I hurt him.

 _Natsu is strong_ , I tell myself again. _He can do this._

But why did his expression from earlier make me rethink my assumptions?

\- **End of Chapter 16 -**

College entrance exams are coming up, so sorry my updates are so slow. Thank you all for waiting. Hope you all enjoyed!

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	17. Chapter 17: Natsu

**Natsu Dragneel**

 _A week later._

"Natsu Dragneel, are you going to keep skipping school like this?" my manager says, walking into my room.

I turn my head around and face the opposite wall, ignoring him. I use my pillow to cover my ears. Can he just leave me alone?

"We can't just keep lying to the press, saying that you're sick!" my manager exclaims, pulling my bed sheets off. I feel the winter breeze freeze me instantly. He grabs my pillow and throws it to the other side of the room. "Listen to me when I am talking to you Natsu!"

"What?" I say, irritated. I sit up and scratch my head. "If you can't lie to the press anymore, then just tell them the truth."

"What truth?" he asks.

"That I am skipping school," I simply say as I stand up and stretch my legs. "Duh."

"Are you crazy?" he replies. "If we do that, don't you know what will happen to your image?"

"It'll get tarnished?" I say, rolling my eyes. "I don't care."

"Natsu!" my manager shouts angrily. "You need to stop this right now and go to school like an ordinary student! Listen to me!"

I sigh as I walk into my kitchen and open the refrigerator, taking out some fruits to eat for breakfast. I try to ignore my manager's words, but I know he is right. I can't just keep skipping school. But really what is the point of going to school anymore. The only reason why I went was to see Lucy, but now she is with Sting. If I go, I'll have to watch the two of them. How would I be able to concentrate on anything?

"Natsu, you are going to school today whether you like it or not!" my manager scolds.

"There is no point!" I shout, losing it. "Can you just leave me alone or I'll have you fired!"

My manager just becomes speechless, not used to my sudden outburst. I instantly regret what I said. He was just worried about me. Why am I being like this? It's not his fault. I took my anger out on the wrong person.

"Ah… I'm sorry, Natsu," he says. "Let's talk about this more tomorrow, okay? You should rest for today." He turns around and leaves my house. The door shuts, leaving me alone. Why did I say that? I am so stupid. He did nothing. Argh. More like, why am I like this? Usually, I am so calm and composed. Why am I so irritable now?

I sit on my couch, eating an apple. I turn on the television and there is just news about me being very sick everywhere. I turn it off and go on my phone, checking my social media. I scroll down the comments on my newest photo that I posted on Instagram.

 _ **natsuislife**_ _are you okay, natsu? feel better soon! T^T_

 _ **yukimuraaoi112**_ _get well soon!_

 _ **drag_neelnatsu**_ _cheering for you always! :))_

 _ **satsuki888**_ _noo you have to feel better! we miss you 3_

Ah… my fans always make me feel better. Suddenly, I see a familiar username comment.

 _ **mirajanestrauss**_ _wow, you're sick? ha, what a loser._

Wow, Mira. Almost a hundred thousand likes on that comment. I roll my eyes. She really is one of my best co-actresses that I have acted with. I keep scrolling up to check everyone's comments. It definitely is so nice to see all these. Then, suddenly, I find myself seeing similar usernames with the same four letters.

 _ **nalu_love**_ _feel better 3_

N, A, L, U? Why are there so many usernames with these letters?

 _ **n_a_l_u_**_ _you can get through this! get well soon!_

And here is another one? What is this?

 _nuu feel better! :((_

N, A, L, U. What is this? I click on the account to find out. Hm. There are a lot of photos of me. This looks like a fan account dedicated to me. So what is with the username? Usually, people would just use my name, but so many are using those four letters.

I click another account with the four letters and scroll down their feed. Photos of me like usual. Are these letters a new trend? Why was I not aware of this-

Huh?

My eyes widen.

Why are there photos of Lucy's photoshoot as a kid?

I scroll down further and see even more. What? Why is Lucy on this fan account?

I scroll back up to check this user's bio. It reads:

 **NaLu Fan Account**

Hi! NALU shipper here! Welcome to my Natsu fan page 3

 _NALU_ shipper? A shipper is someone who puts two people together and "ships" them according to my knowledge. I've been "shipped" with a lot of my co-actresses before, but I don't understand this ship name. Who is in this?

I get off _Instagram_ and go on _Google_ , searching up NALU. I then scroll down the search results. No way. This can't be. I look at _Google Images._ There are pictures of me and Lucy everywhere back when we were in that movie _**Sabertooth**_ together. They must have found us from the news article that went out about me seeing Lucy again at school!

I look at the top image and my eyes widen. It is me with Lucy in the classroom. It seems like one of my classmates posted it. I click on the link to that image and see a celebrity news article. It basically describes how we met on a movie set. There are interviews with the past workers there too, with quotes saying how Lucy and I seemed to be very close until Lucy disappeared that day.

Ah… I see why so many people would ship us with this kind of news article being published. I look down the comments to see people's reactions. It seems like half of my fans either like us together or don't. Well, that's normal with fans.

My heart sinks. If I had seen this about a week earlier, I would've been so happy, knowing that most of my fans would maturely accept my relationship with Lucy. But now… we're over.

I bite my lip and tears naturally begin to fall down my face. I miss her. I miss her so much. I can't even go to school because I am scared that I will just run out of that classroom again in tears from just seeing her face.

Lucy. Lucy. You might think that I am strong. I always had tried to appear that way to you. But I really am not. I'm weak without you. I feel like I have gone back to that time when I thought I lost you forever. Except now I'm lonely. I miss you. I can't imagine living without you anymore.

I bend down, slouching my shoulders, and spend the rest of my day uselessly moping again. I know doing that won't change anything, but I can't help it. What else can I do? This is so out of my personality. Usually, I would confidently say that I'll steal and take her back and do anything to make her fall for me again. But this time… it isn't the same.

I recall what she said that day:

" _ **Right now, there is someone who needs me, so I can't be with you. This person needs me more than you do right now."**_

Who would need her more than me? I have been looking for her for almost seven years. How could she just leave me for someone who possibly needs her more?

Ah… Knowing her, she probably put family before me, like Wendy.

Like Wendy.

 _Like Wendy?_

 _Family?_

She broke up with me overnight without any signs. Something happened that night. She immediately started dating Sting.

Is this person Sting?

I remember her mentioning that Sting reminded her of her younger sister Wendy that she lost during the photoshoot accident.

Could it be?

Could it be that because Sting reminds her so much of Wendy, she was unable to leave him for me?

If that were the case, it would make sense. Completely. I nod to myself. It seems like something she would definitely do. But how can I know for sure? And what happened between them? I can't just simply ask her. She would never say anything.

Sting.

Could I ask Sting?

Suddenly, I hear my phone's notification ringer go off. I check my phone to see that I got a text from my class' representative Gray Fullbuster. I wonder what it is. I unlock my phone and check my text messages.

 **Gray Fullbuster:** Hey, are you doing fine? I don't know why but Juvia told me to text you that Lucy was absent today. The head of her orphanage called in saying that she caught a severe cold or something. Can you come over and deliver the notes to her? If you can't, it's totally fine. I can just ask Sting, but he's in soccer practice now so. I already told Juvia anyway that it's totally pointless asking you since you're sick too.

My eyes widen. Lucy? Sick? I immediately text back.

 **Me:** I'll do it. Hold on. I'll be right there.

Before I know it, I am running to school. This is actually the first time I have gone anywhere without telling my manager. But I need to see Lucy. How could she let herself get sick so easily? That idiot!

I get to school about fifteen minutes later. I am lucky that I live so close. I meet the class representatives outside the school and Juvia seems to me smirking at me, as if she knows something.

"That was fast," she says, chuckling. "Here, take this to her." She takes out the class notes and hands them to me. I quickly thank her and am about to leave when Gray suddenly grabs my wrist to stop me.

"Hey," he says with a confused look. "Weren't you sick?"

"Y-Yeah?" I answer nervously. "But I feel fine now! I'll come to school tomorrow, okay? Promise!"

And with that, I run toward the direction of Lucy's orphanage.

 **\- End of Chapter 17 -**

Hey guys! Thank you for waiting for this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it~

Also, I feel like I don't thank you guys enough for reading and reviewing my stories. so I am thinking about starting to reply to reviews from now on whenever I upload a chapter. So if any of you guys have any questions, feel free to comment ^_^

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	18. Chapter 18: Natsu

_Knock. Knock._

The door opens, revealing an old man. He straightens his glasses as he looks up at me.

"Hello," he says, a bit confused. "May I help you?"

"I, uh…" What should I say? Ah, that's right! "I'm Lucy's classmate," I say. I go into my bag and take out the papers that Sting and Juvia gave me earlier. "I'm here to deliver the homework and notes."

"Oh," the old man replies. "I can take that for you."

I gulp. I want to see Lucy, though, even if she doesn't feel the same. She is ill. I need to help her somehow. Should I just be honest? I grip onto the notes tightly.

"I can take it for you," the man says again, probably thinking that I didn't hear him the first time. "Uhm… Did you hear me-"

"My name is Natsu Dragneel!" I say in rapidly. "I heard Lucy was sick, so I came to see her!"

"Natsu?" the old man says, adjusting his glasses. His eyes widen. "Ah! Of course, please come in!" He beckons me in as I take off my shoes and step in.

"Natsu, huh," he says. "I didn't think you would be such a handsome young man!" He looks at me with a smile as she guides me to Lucy's room.

"You know me?" I ask, confused. I was pretty sure that the majority of senior citizens didn't know who I was even though I was famous.

"Why, of course," he says as if it were obvious. "Lucy always said your name in her sleep in the past."

"What?"

"When she first came to the orphanage, she isolated herself from the rest of us," the man says with a frown. "She didn't like the idea of a new family for some reason. Sting was amazing, though."

"How so?" I ask curiously.

The old man sits me down and then sits on the other side of the table. "Well, Sting was able to talk to her somehow and ever since then, Lucy has always called all of us her family. She and Sting are especially close, though. He's her closest friend in this orphanage. They are practically siblings."

Wait a second. "Siblings?" I ask.

"Yeah," he replies. "Lucy has always called Sting her little brother." He grins. "Our orphanage really is like a huge family."

So if Lucy really says that often… why would she date Sting and break up with me? Something isn't adding up. Also, the old man hasn't explained about her saying my name in her sleep, but I feel a bit too awkward to ask.

"Back when Lucy first came, she would say your name so often in her sleep," the old man says as if he read my mind. "And at times, when I watched her in her bedroom, she would curl up in a ball, cry, and keep saying _Natsu, Natsu. I miss you._ over and over again. So I always wondered what kind of boy you were for her to feel so attached to you."

"Ah…" I say. I smile a bit, knowing that she missed me, just as much as I missed her. When I was separated from her, life for me was so hard… and it must have been the same for her. I just can't wrap my head around the fact that she decided to leave me again. Why? I had so many questions.

The old man patted my shoulder. "My name is Makarov Dreyar by the way," he says. "But you can just call me Gramps." He points to the room in the far corner. "That's Lucy's room," he says. "I'm sure she is waiting for you in there."

"Thanks, Gramps," I say, bowing my head a bit before I walk off. I take a deep breath, standing in front of the door. Somehow I am a bit nervous. What will she say? Will she just tell me to go away?

I take a deep breath. No, I have to be confident.

I twist the knob and look into her room. There are bunk beds, probably because the orphanage can't afford for everyone to have their own individual rooms. I look to the left and there is Lucy on the bottom bunk. She is breathing heavily and seems to be sleeping. I slowly walk over to her, trying not to wake her.

I grab a chair and sit next to her bedside. She turns toward me. Did I accidentally wake her?

"Natsu..?" she says softly. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," I reply. "Do you need anything?"

"Heh," she says in a childish tone. She extends her arms outward. "Give me a hug."

"Huh?"

"Hug!" she says angrily with a pout. But I am too frozen on the spot from shock to do anything.

She sits up and crosses her arms. She sighs. "Wow, even in my dream, I can't even get a hug from you."

 _Dream?_ Does she think this is a dream? Her sickness must be getting to her head. I feel her forehead and gasp. She's burning up so much!

"Haha," Lucy laughs, breathing heavily. "Natsu, your touch feels so nice," she says as she takes my hand and holds it by her cheek. I shiver at the feeling of her cheek. I haven't touched her in so long. And she seems almost drunk. It would be wrong for me to take advantage of her in this state.

"Natshuuu," Lucy says loudly as if she were drunk. She pouts. "Hug!"

This idiot. How could I say no if she makes that kind of face. Immediately, I take her small frame and wrap my arms around her. Ah… it's been so long. The feeling of her in my arms… it feels so wonderful. I missed this so much.

"I missed you," Lucy says. "I missed you a lot."

"I missed you too," I reply, burying my face into the nape of her neck. "I missed you so much, I couldn't even go to school. I didn't want to see you with Sting anymore."

"I don't even like Sting," Lucy cries. "I don't even like him. He's just like family to me. He's nothing compared to you. I want to be with you, Natsu. I don't want to be with anyone else."

"Then, why?" I ask, holding her tighter. "Why did you leave me?"

"Because I wanted to protect my family," she cries. "I already lost Wendy. I don't want to lose another important person again."

My eyes widen. _Lose another important person again?_ What did this mean? Even though she isn't thinking straight, I don't want to ask. I feel like I would be getting too involved in something I am not supposed to know. But for some reason, I have a gut feeling of what is going on.

"It's okay," I say, rubbing her back. "I understand. When you resolve everything, promise me that you'll come back to me, okay?"

"I promise," she says. "I'll definitely come back to you someday."

"I love you," I say.

"I love you too," she says. I can feel her tears soaking into my shirt. She loosens the hug and looks at me straight in the eye. "Can you kiss me?"

"What?"

"Kiss me," she repeats.

"I can't just-"

"It's my dream," she says. "I can control it." And immediately, she bends over toward me, placing her lips gently over mine. I feel that familiar warm sensation overwhelm me. I missed this feeling so much. I keep screaming at myself to pull away. I can't just take advantage of her like this. But I can't pull her away. The feeling of her lips is just too much.

Gradually, she moves away and gives me a goofy looking grin.

"Hehe, it feels so real," she says. She yawns. "Is this really a dream?"

I gently pat her on the head. "Yes," I say. "It's only a dream."

Lucy makes a soft giggle. And with that, she falls asleep again.

 **\- End of Chapter 18 -**

Hey guys! Sorry that it took me forever to update! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Can't believe this story is almost over though~

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	19. Chapter 19: Lucy

**Lucy Heartfilia**

I stretch my arms and yawn. I feel like I have woken from such a nice dream. It was warm, leaving a soft feeling on my lips. What was it again?

Ah… that's right. Natsu came over and hugged me. He was here with me in this very room, here to see me, take care of me to make sure I was feeling better. I became honest with him and told him that I missed and loved him. And I kissed him.

" _It's okay_ ," he said in the dream. " _I understand. When you resolve everything, promise me that you'll come back to me, okay?_ "

I smile. Only in my dreams, something like that would happen. It will never be reality. The dream gives me a bittersweet feeling, though. A warm feeling that reminded me of him. Yet the warm feeling made me miss him more now that I woke up to find that it was only just a dream.

But… for some reason, that dream felt so real to me. Even now, I can still feel the touch of his lips on mine. I can still feel his affection when we hugged and my heart beating from excitement. But it was all just in my head, right? So why can I feel this warmth from him?

I hear a few knocks on my door. Who is that?

"Come in," I shout, sitting up on my bed.

The door opens and Sting comes into my room. "Morning, Lucy," he says, sitting on my bed. "How are you feeling?" He feels my forehead, checking for a fever. Then he smiles in relief. "Wow, you cooled down a lot."

"Yeah," I say. We have an awkward silence, which is odd for Sting. He rarely stays this quiet. He swings his legs childishly back and forth as he taps his fingers on my bed, a habit he had when he was nervous.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

Suddenly, he jolts up. He quickly shakes his head. "No!" he exclaims. "I mean, yes, but…" He goes silent again, biting his lip. He scratches his head, unsure how to word his problem.

"What's wrong?" I ask, concerned, taking his hand and holding it tightly. "Is something bothering you?"

"Kind… of…" Sting replies reluctantly. He takes a deep breath. "AH!" he yells loudly, grabbing his hair with both hands in frustration, tangling all his strands into a mess. "I'm just, ugh."

I pat his back. "It's okay," I say. "You don't have to say it-"

"I'm sorry!" he suddenly shouts, interrupting me. "I'm just so sorry, Lucy. I'm sorry."

"What are you saying?" I ask. "Why are you apologizing?"

He sighs and looks at me directly in the eye. "Lucy, I love you," he says. "You're one of the most important people in my life. I honestly can't imagine life without you. But…" He looks out the window with a sigh. He closes his eyes to collect his thoughts as he takes a breath.

"But what?" I ask.

"But this love I feel for you wasn't the romantic love I thought it was." He messes up his hair some more and holds my hand tightly. I look at him, confused at where he was getting at.

"Ah, what I'm saying is…" Sting tightens his grip on my hand. "Lucy, I love you so much. You're like family, a sister, to me. And I didn't want to let you go. When I saw you with Natsu, I became so afraid."

"Afraid?" I am unable to utter any other words. All of this is just too shocking. What is Sting suddenly saying? How did he change so much in one night? Did something happen? I watch as he shakes. He's scared somehow. I pat his back and slowly he begins to erupt in tears. I quickly hand him a few tissues.

"I was afraid that you'd abandon me, just as my parents did," he explains, trying to hold his tears in. He hiccups from all the crying. "I was afraid that you'd leave me because I wasn't as bright and smart as all the other kids. I thought Natsu would steal you away from me, just as my mother eloped with another guy and left me. Just as my father hated me because I reminded him so much of mother that he left me on a bench at the park that cold day and abandoned me. I was so scared. I was just so scared of experiencing that again."

My eyes widen. To be honest, even though Sting and I have known each other for so long, not once had he told me about his past. He always said something like "I don't remember my parents" or "I'm not sure." He must have been hurting this entire time alone. Yet I was oblivious to everything. I hold his hand, tightly wrapping around mine, with both hands gently.

"I thought I would be abandoned again by you, so much that I wanted to commit suicide. I wanted to avoid feeling that loneliness of being abandoned again," he says. "I'm sorry. I was selfish. I made you stop pursuing acting. Lucy, forgive me. I'm sorry. I must have reminded you of Wendy. I'm so sorry-"

I interrupt him, hugging him tightly. "Idiot," I say. "You don't have to apologize. I'm sorry. I didn't know that something like that happened to you. And it wasn't your fault." I comb his hair back into place, wiping his tears as well.

"I love you too, Sting, so much. I would never leave you. You were the one who saved me back when I came to this orphanage, wanting to die. So this time, it was my turn to save you. Consider this as my thanks, okay? Don't feel bad. There is nothing for me to forgive you for because you have done nothing wrong."

"Lucy…" he says. He smiles brightly. "You're too kind. Thank you. You're the best sister and family that I've ever had."

"You are too," I say with a grin. I hit him in the head.

"Ow!" he exclaims. "What was that for?"

I laugh. "Let's get off this heavy topic and eat breakfast, okay?" I say as I get up and put on my slippers.

"I'm not done yet," Sting says, grabbing my arm to stop me in my tracks. He looks at me with a serious expression. "Lucy, do you know why I suddenly came to this conclusion? That my love for you was mistaken as romantic feelings?"

Hm? That is right. How did Sting realize so quickly? It was practically overnight. I sit down on my desk's chair to listen. "How then?"

"Natsu," he replies.

"Huh?"

Sting sighs. "I can't keep this secret from you after all."

* * *

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid Natsu! Before I know it, I am running at top speed to Natsu's apartment, an address given to me by Gramps. Apparently, he had become acquainted with Natsu when he visited me when I was sick.

Which means that everything that happened in my dream actually happened in reality.

My face boils when I think about my supposed dream. I am actually quite embarrassed. I was very direct, telling him to hug and kiss me, thinking that it was just a dream. But there is no time for embarrassment. I have to get to Natsu, now.

" _I ran into Natsu at the orphanage. He told me to tell you that it was just a dream if you ever asked whether he was here,_ " Sting told me. " _He didn't want you to know that he went to see you._ "

That idiot. Stupid idiot.

Suddenly, I see Sting ride his bike past me. He brakes and then turns back, waving at me. "Need a ride?"

* * *

Thanks to Sting, I arrive at Natsu's apartment pretty quick. Of course with my luck, the elevator had to be malfunctioning. I run up the stairs to his place. My legs feel like lead by the time I get to this door. Panting loudly, I knock on his door.

Almost instantly, the door opens.

"I told you that I would come to school tomorrow, Manager!" I hear his familiar voice shout loudly. I look up to see that face that I've missed so much and we make eye contact. He freezes, not expecting me at all. He opens his mouth, but no words come out, as he is at a lost for words.

"Lu… cy…?" he manages to cough out.

"Idiot Natsu," I reply, catching my breath. "You're so dumb."

"H-How?" Natsu stammers. "How are you here?"

I stand up straight and glare at him. I use my fingers to make quotation marks. " _Tell Lucy that it was just a dream,_ " I say, trying to imitate his deep voice. "You're so dumb." I step forward and hug him tightly. "You're so dumb, but I love you so much for it."

"L-Lucy, what are you saying?" Natsu says, pushing me away. "You can't say that. You're dating Sting-"

"We broke up," I reply. "And Sting was the one who told me the truth. How _that_ wasn't a dream."

"That?" Natsu asks. Suddenly, his face turns beet red as he comes to the realization. "A-Ah, Lucy. T-That was-"

"Real," I say, completing his sentence. I take a step toward him and touch his cheek. "I meant everything I said that. And I'm here to return to you, just as I promised. I'm still in love with you, idiot."

Natsu begins to tear up as he takes a step toward me, wrapping my small frame with his arms. I feel his familiar warmth as I wrap my arms around his neck. He cries into my shoulder, hiding his teary eyes.

"I missed you," he cries, his tears soaked into my clothes.

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Never leave me again," he says as he pulls me closer.

"I'll be by your side forever," I reply, gently placing my lips over his.

This warmth... I'll never leave it again.

\- **End of Prodigy Actress -**

Hey guys! Sorry that it took me forever to finish this chapter. I'm planning on writing a bonus chapter of their future which will hopefully come out by Saturday or Sunday of next week (no guarantee because of my busy schedule T-T sorry). Thank you all for enjoying this story and please look forward to my next one: **Hapa Blondie** (which will be coming out THIS Friday! :D). It's based on my friend's summer love story, so please check it out when it comes!

Thank you!

Summary of **Hapa Blondie** **:**

\- Based on a True Story - Lucy Heartfilia, a half Japanese and caucasian girl, is in Japan for the summer to visit her grandmother and cousin. During her stay, she meets Natsu Dragneel, the idol at her cousin's school. In the beginning, she finds him almost prince-like, having a slight crush. However, she later finds out that he is actually a complete idiot. So much for a summer love?

~ _**Metallic Snow**_


	20. Reminder

Hi guys! A few of you told me that this ending didn't answer any questions about Wendy etc and it was sudden, but please remember that is what the bonus chapter is for! :) I was planning to wrap up everything using it TT I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I'll finish writing it as soon as possible so don't worry or be upset please ;-; It'll be coming as soon as possible!

Thanks~

\- Metallic Snow


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